OAN Staff Blake Wolf
5:35 PM – Wednesday, October 2, 2024
President Joe Biden told reporters on Wednesday that he does not support Israeli retaliatory strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities following Tuesday's missile attack by Iran over the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
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In the latest attack, Iranians fired more than 180 ballistic missiles directly at Israel in an attempt to overrun the country's protective iron dome.
However, many of the Iranian missiles were intercepted by U.S. cooperative efforts, which is “evidence of Israeli military capabilities and the U.S. military” and “evidence of intensive planning between the U.S. and Israel.” Biden said. Israel needs to anticipate and defend against the brazen attacks we were expecting. ”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to respond similarly to direct attacks by Iran, which usually uses proxies to carry out attacks.
“We will discuss with the Israelis what they will do, but all seven of us[G7 countries]have said that Israel has a right to respond, but that it should respond proportionately,” Biden said. I agree with that.''
Analysts have speculated that an Israeli retaliatory strike could target Iran's oil reserves or nuclear facilities, and President Biden has been asked whether he supports these. The Democratic president quickly responded, “The answer is no.”
Biden went on to add that on behalf of the United States, he would continue to offer “full solidarity and support to Israel and its people,” seemingly ignoring his earlier remarks.
Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell spoke about rising tensions and the ongoing conflict and said the Biden administration wants to work with Israel to determine the appropriate response. However, he also stressed that the Middle East is currently on a “knife's edge”, meaning that any further escalation could lead to all-out war in the region.
In a recent speech, Campbell said Iran's actions were “highly irresponsible” and argued that Israel needed to send a “reply message.”
“I think we tried to emphasize our support for some of the actions that Israel has taken,” he said. “We are very wary of any escalation or large-scale ground operations in Lebanon.”
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