Biden states he won’t support Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities

U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Wednesday that he would not endorse an Israeli strike aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation for the recent missile attack from Iran.

When asked if he would support such military action, Biden replied, “The answer is no.” He emphasized that discussions with Israeli officials would take place regarding their next steps.

Stating that the talks with his Israeli counterparts continued and they discussed how to respond to Iran, Biden also noted that they had a joint teleconference call with the G7 leaders today and agreed that Israel should respond “proportionately”.

Following Iran’s recent attacks, Biden commented, “Iran has gone too far astray.”

What happened?

Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, claiming the action was in response to Israel’s operations, including the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran in late July and the killings of Hezbollah and Iranian military personnel in Beirut in late September. Meanwhile, Israel has promised to retaliate.

The escalating conflict is set against the backdrop of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in nearly 41,600 deaths, primarily among women and children, following a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The violence has also extended to Lebanon, where Israeli strikes have caused over 960 deaths and injured more than 2,700 individuals since September 23.