Israel has not given assurances to the Biden administration that targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities is out of the question in retaliation for Iranian ballistic missile attacks earlier this week, a senior US State Department official told CNN on Friday (4).
The official added that it is “very difficult to say” whether Israel will use the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks to retaliate.
“We hope and hope to see some wisdom and strength, but as you know, no guarantees,” the official said when asked by CNN whether Israel has assured the US that Iran’s nuclear facilities are off the table.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden said the US would not support Israel targeting Iran’s nuclear program.
US officials are also unclear about when Israel’s response will be decided or enacted.
Asked whether Israel would use the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack to retaliate against Iran, the official said “it is very difficult to say.”
“I think in some ways they would like to avoid the seventh, so in my opinion, if there is anything, it will probably be before or after,” the official said, pointing to the solemnity of that day and any Israeli retaliation potentially taking the focus away from what that day means.
The U.S. has been working for nearly a year to prevent the conflict from escalating into a larger war — and has so far done so, the official said. Now, “this is at the limit,” he added.
Understand the escalation in conflicts in the Middle East
Iran’s missile attack on Israel on the 1st marked a new stage in the regional conflict in the Middle East. On one side of the war is Israel, with support from the United States. On the other, the Axis of Resistance, which receives financial and military support from Iran and which has a series of paramilitary groups.
There are seven conflict fronts currently open: the Islamic Republic of Iran; Hamas, in the Gaza Strip; Hezbollah, in Lebanon; the Syrian government and the militias operating in the country; the Houthis, in Yemen; Shia groups in Iraq; and different militant organizations in the West Bank.
Israel has soldiers on three of these fronts: Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In the other four, it carries out aerial bombings.
The Israeli Army began a “limited ground operation” in Lebanon on September 30, days after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a bombing of the group’s headquarters in the Beirut suburb.
The Israel Defense Forces say they have killed virtually the entire Hezbollah chain of command in similar bombings carried out in recent weeks. On September 23, Lebanon had its deadliest day since the 2006 war, with more than 500 fatalities.
At least two Brazilian teenagers died in the attacks. Itamaraty condemned the situation and called for an end to the conflict. With the increase in hostilities, the Brazilian government announced an operation to repatriate Brazilians in Lebanon.
In the West Bank, the Israeli military is trying to dismantle groups opposed to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
In the Gaza Strip, Israel seeks to eradicate Hamas, responsible for the October 7 attack that left more than 1,200 people dead, according to information from the Israeli government. The Israeli operation killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar remains hidden in tunnels in the Gaza Strip, where dozens of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas are also believed to be in captivity.
This content was originally published in Israel does not guarantee that it will not attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, says US official on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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