Israel 'plans' to hit Iran's nukes, Biden says response should be proportionate

US President Joe Biden was opposed to the idea of Israel striking Iran's nuclear and oil facilities amid Middle East tensions and urged the Jewish nation to act "proportionately".

In Short

• Israel reportedly planning to strike Iran's nuclear and oil facilities
• Joe Biden discusses possibility of new sanctions on Iran with G7 leaders
• Israel and Hezbollah continue to strike each other amid Mideast tensions

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday (local time) said he was against Israel over its reported plan to strike Iran's nuclear facilities in response to Tehran's missile attacks on the Jewish nation and stressed that Tel Aviv should act "proportionately".

Reacting to reports on Israel's plan to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and oil rigs in response to Tuesday's attacks on the Jewish nation, Biden said that Israel had a right to defend itself, but it should do so "proportionately", The Times of Israel reported. He also spoke to G7 leaders over the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Tehran.

Following the G7 meeting that was held over a phone call, the White House said Biden had coordinated the multilateral rollout of the new sanctions against Iran. The G7 leaders, including Biden, "unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel", which marked a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

LATEST ON ISRAEL-IRAN CONFLICT:

1. Biden said more sanctions would be imposed on Iran over Tuesday's attacks on Israel and that he would speak soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When asked for a response over Israel planning to hit Iran's nuclear and oil sites, Biden said, "The answer is no."
2. According to analysts, Israel's response would be more severe than when Iran launched missiles and drones at the Jewish nation in April, suggesting that it could target Tehran's nuclear or oil facilities this time. Other experts were of the view that the US should attempt to moderate Israel's response in a bid to avoid a regional war in the Middle East.
3. Biden said he would speak to Israel, including Netanyahu, over its plans to strike Iran, while asserting that Tehran has gone "way off course". He said, "We'll be discussing with the Israelis what they're going to do, but all seven of us (G7 nations) agree that they have a right to respond but they should respond proportionally."
4. Meanwhile, Israeli officials told their US counterparts that they were still finalising targets and timing for a response to Iran's missile attacks, said a person in Washington familiar with the discussions, news agency Reuters reported.
5. Iran's missile attack coupled with Israel's offensive on Hezbollah in Lebanon have escalated tensions in the Middle East, where the Biden administration has been rushing to broker a ceasefire deal in the nearly year-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, as the threat looms over the possibility of a full-blown war in the region.
6. According to Israeli officials, Israel is likely to attack Iran's strategic infrastructure, including gas and oil rigs, or nuclear facilities. Attacks on Iran's air defence systems and targeted killings could also be possible responses, Axios reported. If such a plan goes ahead, it could mark another round of confrontation between the two countries, while also severely crippling Iranian economy.
7. On Wednesday, seven people were killed in two Israeli strikes in central Beirut which hit a Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic rescue centre, and destroyed the building, Lebanon's National News agency reported. The strike hit an apartment building in Bashoura neighbourhood, close to the Lebanese parliament, the nearest Israeli strikes which have come to the country's seat of government.
8. Hezbollah fired pair of overnight drone attacks in central Israel on Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year - but no injuries were reported. The IDF said it struck two hostile aircraft, with the third one landing in an open area near the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam, The Times of Israel reported.
9. Both Israel and Hezbollah have amped up their strikes on each other following the Jewish nation's ground offensive in Lebanon, which came after the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a massive airstrike on the group's headquarters in Beirut last week. Earlier on Tuesday, eight Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon during the ground offensive.
10. Meanwhile, Israel targeted a weapons depot in Syria's Jableh countryside and other targets in coastal cities in the western part of the country, the country's state media reported on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post reported.

(with inputs from Reuters)