Biden rejects possible Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities

US President Joe Biden has said he does not support a possible Israeli retaliation against Iranian nuclear facilities after Iran fired around 180 missiles at Israel.

Tensions between Iran and Israel are high following Tuesday’s Iranian attack, which Israel said was largely repelled by its missile defense system.

Iran said the barrage was in response to the killings of Hamas politician Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan.

The attack also came after Israel announced a ground attack on Lebanon to destroy Iran-backed Hezbollah’s “terrorist infrastructure” in border villages.

The US has repeatedly called for de-escalation and has also held long-term negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas in Gaza, but so far without success.

Biden’s comments to reporters on Wednesday came during a trip with Vice President Kamala Harris to tour hurricane damage in North Carolina.

“Would you support an attack by Israel on Iranian nuclear facilities?” Biden was asked by a reporter.

“The answer is no,” he replied.

He added that the US “will discuss with the Israelis what they will do.”

He also said that he had consulted with the leaders of other G7 countries and they all agreed that Israel “has the right to respond, but they should respond proportionately.”

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller added at a briefing: “It is clear that this was an unprecedented escalation by Iran.”

“Israel has the right to respond. We are discussing what that response will look like.”

So far, the White House has given no public indication of how it believes Israel should respond to Iran’s attack.

In a video message on Tuesday, Biden said that at his direction, US forces in the region helped shoot down the missiles fired from Iran.

He said the Iranian attack was “depressed and ineffective” and called it “evidence of intensive planning between the United States and Israel to anticipate and repel the brazen attack we expected.”

“Make no mistake, the United States fully supports Israel,” Biden added.