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President Biden said Wednesday that he does not support Israel carrying out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as the U.S. and its allies mull additional sanctions against Tehran.
"The answer is no," Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews when asked about the possibility of Israel launching retaliatory strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program.
“All seven of us agree that they have a right to respond, but they should respond proportionally,” Biden said, referring to Group of Seven (G7) allies.
Biden said his administration has been in touch with Israeli officials in the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack on Tuesday to discuss next steps. The president said he expected to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “relatively soon.”
Iran launched a barrage of missiles Tuesday toward Israel, shortly after the U.S. warned an attack was imminent. The attack appeared to be over within an hour of starting.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan called Iran’s attack against Israel a “significant escalation,” but he said the attack appeared to be “defeated and ineffective.”
The Iranian blitz comes after a bruising and nearly yearlong cross-border conflict between Hezbollah, a major proxy group for Tehran, and Israeli forces. The fight, tied to the ongoing war in Gaza, has severely crippled Hezbollah after Israel eliminated most of its command structure in the past month.
It also comes after the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike over the weekend on Beirut.
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