Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden that he was ready to strike military sites in Iran, not oil or nuclear facilities, two knowledgeable sources told The Washington Post. They said this occurred during a phone conversation between the two leaders last week. Prior to that, Biden had refused to support an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities in response to the massive bombardment of Israeli territory.
As a result, as one WaPo interlocutor noted, Netanyahu “took a more moderate stance.” In particular, he assured that the attack would be calculated to avoid affecting the upcoming U.S. presidential election in November. Another source of the publication specified that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is going to strike Iran before the US elections, i.e. before November 5. Otherwise, Israel’s lack of response “could be interpreted as weakness,” he added.
An Israeli strike on Iranian oil facilities could lead to a sharp rise in energy prices, while an attack on the country’s nuclear facilities would provoke further escalation and direct U.S. involvement in the conflict, analysts said. Therefore, Netanyahu’s decision to strike the military facilities was taken with relief in Washington, WaPo sources added.
Iran launched a massive missile strike on Israel on the evening of Oct. 1. According to the IDF, more than 200 rockets were fired in total, most of which were shot down by air defense (air defense) assets. Tehran called the attack a response to the deaths of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC Major General Abbas Nilforushan in an Israeli strike on Beirut on September 27.
