Israel will consider the U.S. perspective but will make final decisions based on its own national interests, according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, amid ongoing speculation regarding its response to a significant Iranian missile attack.
The brief statement was issued in response to a Washington Post article stating that Benjamin Netanyahu had informed the U.S. of his willingness to target military sites in Iran, rather than nuclear or oil facilities.
The Post, citing two officials, reported that Netanyahu made these remarks during a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden last Wednesday, where they discussed Israel’s planned retaliation.
On October 1, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel, most of which were intercepted, according to the Israeli military.
At that time, Netanyahu stated that Iran had made a “big mistake” and would “pay for it.”
The overnight Israeli statement, sent alongside a link to the Washington Post article, said: “We listen to the American government’s thoughts, but will make our final decisions based on Israel’s national security needs.”
According to an anonymous official quoted in the Post, Israel’s retaliatory strike would be designed to avoid the appearance of “political interference” in the upcoming US presidential election, which is less than a month away.
Analysts have said a hit on Iranian oil facilities could push up oil prices, and therefore affect the polls, which currently suggest a close race between Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
The price of crude oil shot up 5% at the beginning of the month, immediately after President Biden spoke about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran’s oil infrastructure.
The US has appeared to be trying to limit Israel’s response to Iran.
Biden has indicated that the U.S. does not support any potential strike on Iranian nuclear sites, a course of action suggested by some in Israel, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
On October 4, Biden further clarified that the U.S. would also oppose any Israeli strike on Iran’s oil facilities.
“If I were in their shoes, I would be thinking about other alternatives than striking Iranian oil fields,” he said during a news conference.
Israel has not officially said how it intends to respond to Iran’s October missile attack – the second in six months – but Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said last week its reaction would be “deadly, precise and above all surprising”.
“They will not understand what happened and how it happened, they will see the results,” Gallant said.
Iran has stated that it will not allow any attack by Israel to go unanswered.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has announced plans to strengthen Israel’s air defenses by deploying a high-altitude anti-missile system.
The Pentagon emphasized that the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment highlights the U.S.’s “ironclad” commitment to defending Israel and protecting Americans in Israel from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran.
Iran claimed that its missile barrage on October 1 was a response to Israel’s assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a senior officer from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in Beirut, as well as Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
In recent weeks, Israel has significantly intensified its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah, conducting deadly airstrikes mainly in southern and eastern Lebanon, and also in Beirut.
Prior to this, Israel and Hezbollah had been engaged in cross-border fire almost daily since last October, when Hezbollah began firing into Israel, claiming it was a show of support for Palestinians in Gaza.
They stated they would cease fire if a ceasefire was established in Gaza.