Israel will take into account the United States’ views but will base its response to any Iranian missile attack on its own “national interests,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Tuesday, October 15.
US President Joe Biden has advised Israel against targeting Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities to prevent further regional escalation and concerns over global energy prices.
Additionally, a report from the Washington Post this week, citing unnamed US officials, suggested that Netanyahu had assured the White House that any counterstrike would be limited to military targets.
According to The Wall Street Journal, this reassurance occurred during a call between Netanyahu and Biden last week, as well as discussions between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. However, Netanyahu dismissed the report, stating that Israel would act in its own best interests.
“We listen to the United States’ opinions, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest,” the Prime Minister’s office stated.
Iran had launched approximately 200 missiles at Israel on October 1 in retaliation for an Israeli strike in Beirut that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian General Abbas Nilforoushan.
Israel has pledged to respond to the Iranian missile assault, with Defense Minister Gallant promising a response that would be “deadly, precise, and surprising.”
