Israel has not yet made clear that it plans to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation for the Iranian ballistic missile attacks earlier this week on Tuesday. It’s as ambiguous as it can be. It is “really hard to say” whether Israel will use the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attacks to retaliate, a senior US State Department official told CNN on Friday.
“We hope and expect to see some wisdom and strength, but as you know, no guarantees,” the official said when asked by CNN whether Israel has assured the US that Iran’s nuclear sites are off the table.
“I think in some ways they would want to avoid the seventh, so if anything, in my opinion it will probably be before or after,” the senior State Department official said.
Iran launched a barrage of 181 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening, setting off nationwide airstrike sirens and forcing nearly 10 million Israelis into bomb shelters. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, which targeted three Israeli military bases near Tel Aviv.
Although the majority of the rockets were intercepted, there were scattered reports of damage and injuries. In Tel Aviv, two civilians were slightly injured by shrapnel, while in the West Bank city of Jericho, a Palestinian civilian was killed by debris from one of the rockets, AFP news agency reported. The Israeli military quickly announced that the immediate threat was over and that civilians were allowed to leave the shelters after an hour.
US officials have expressed support for Israel and its response to the Iranian missile attack earlier this week. “Israel has the right to defend itself, as any country does. In terms of what Israel’s response will be, there obviously has to be consequences for Iran for this attack. We have made it clear that there must be consequences,” said Matthew. Miller, spokesperson for the US Department of State, during a press conference.
President Joe Biden opposed Israel’s idea of attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“If I were in their shoes, I would think of other alternatives than attacking oil fields,” Biden said at a news conference on Friday.