A senior official at the US State Department told CNN on Friday that Israel has not assured the Biden administration that it will not consider attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. After Iran launched around 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, Israel is considering retaliatory actions against Iran.
The Iran-backed Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering the Hamas-Israel war. The senior US State Department official expressed that it is “really hard to judge” whether Israel will retaliate against Iran on the anniversary of the Hamas attack.
When asked if Israel has assured the US that Iran’s nuclear facilities are not within the scope of retaliation, the official stated: Israel has not made that assurance.
US officials earlier this week expressed support for Israel’s missile attacks on Iran. Several officials publicly stated that Iran must face consequences. However, at the same time, officials also expressed concerns about the spread of regional conflicts in dealing with the increasingly volatile Middle East issues.
President Biden stated earlier this week that the US will not support Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The president said in a press conference on Friday: “If I were in their shoes, I would consider options other than attacking oil fields.”
US officials are still unsure when Israel will decide or launch counterattacks. President Biden mentioned on Friday that Israel “will not make an immediate decision.”
The official stated that the US has been working for nearly a year to prevent the conflict from escalating into a larger war, and so far has succeeded in doing so. But now is a time of instability.
Biden mentioned on Friday that US officials are in constant contact with their Israeli counterparts for 12 hours a day.
US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stated on Wednesday, “Both sides are working to keep communication channels open and ensure understanding of each other’s perspectives.”
“In recent months, there have been some surprising moments, I don’t think it’s a secret,” he said. “Regarding Iran’s attacks on Israel, not only is Israel considering its response options, but also the US.” Campbell said at an event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Campbell said, “Our main message is ‘let’s be very careful in dealing with the Iran issue’.”
To further combat Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, Israel launched a new round of airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut in Lebanon on Saturday.
Additionally, the Israeli military stated that in a series of localized attacks by the Israeli army in the southern border areas of Lebanon, several Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and tunnels were dismantled.
Israeli authorities also announced on Saturday that Hezbollah had launched a series of rockets towards northern Israel. Authorities are formulating a response.