President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he opposes a potential Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites in retaliation for Tuesday’s missile strike.
Iran launched a missile barrage against Israel on Tuesday, which was conducted as payback for Israel’s assassination of key Iran-backed officials, according to The Associated Press (AP). The president emphasized Israel’s right to retaliate but said that he opposes a strike on Iranian nuclear sites. (RELATED: Iran Fires Roughly 200 Missiles At Israel As Middle East Reaches Boiling Point)
“The answer is no,” the president told reporters before boarding Air Force One.
“We’ll be discussing with the Israelis what they’re gonna do,” Biden said. “But all seven of us (leaders of G7 countries) agree that they have a right to respond, and they should respond proportionally.”
Biden spoke by telephone with U.S. allies in the G7 on Wednesday morning to discuss new sanctions against Iran. He also plans to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “soon” to discuss ways of avoiding a broader conflict from metastasizing in the Middle East, according to The Hill.
Convincing Netanyahu to exercise restraint in his military responses has been a longstanding struggle for Biden and allies, who warn that Israel’s war could draw more parties into the conflict, The New York Times reported.
Iran’s attack on Israel was the second of its kind this year and resulted in only one death. U.S. officials reported that Tuesday’s strike was “nearly twice the scope” of the previous strike in April, according to the BBC.
