US President Joe Biden has said he is against any possible Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites after Iran fired about 180 missiles at Israel.
Tensions are rising between Iran and Israel following an Iranian attack on Tuesday, which Israel said was largely blocked by its missile defense system. Iran stated that the attack was a reaction to the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps. Its attack also came after Israel announced a ground assault into Lebanon, in an effort to dismantle what it called Iran-backed Hezbollah's “terrorist infrastructure” in border villages, BBC reports.
The US has continually called for a reduction in tensions and has been engaged in long-term negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza, but so far, these efforts have not yielded any success.
Biden made his comments to reporters on Wednesday while visiting North Carolina to assess hurricane damage with Vice President Kamala Harris. When a reporter asked if he would support an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear sites, Biden replied, "The answer is no." He mentioned that the U.S. would be in discussions with Israel about their plans. Biden also noted that he had spoken with other G7 leaders, who all agreed that Israel has the right to respond but should do so in a measured way.
At a briefing, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, "It's clear that this was an unprecedented escalation by Iran. Israel has the right to respond, and we are discussing what that response will be." However, the White House has not publicly indicated how it thinks Israel should react to the attack from Iran.
In a video message on Tuesday, Biden said that he had directed US military forces in the region to assist in intercepting the missiles launched from Iran.
He described the Iranian attack as "defeated and ineffective," stating it was "a testament to the extensive planning between the United States and Israel to prepare for and defend against the bold attack we anticipated."
"Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel," Biden added.
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