The Israeli Prime Minister’s office has issued a statement indicating that while Israel will consider input from the United States, it will ultimately make decisions based on its own national security interests regarding potential retaliation against Iran. This announcement comes amid ongoing speculation about Israel’s response to a major Iranian missile attack on October 1.
The brief statement, released overnight, was a direct response to a Washington Post report suggesting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had informed U.S. President Joe Biden of his willingness to target military sites in Iran, rather than nuclear or oil facilities. The Post cited two officials who claimed Netanyahu made these comments during a phone call with Biden last Wednesday.
“We listen to the American government’s thoughts, but will make our final decisions based on Israel’s national security needs,” the Israeli statement read, accompanied by a link to the Washington Post article.
The Iranian attack on October 1 involved the launch of nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel, most of which were intercepted by Israeli defense systems. Following the attack, Netanyahu declared that Iran had made a “big mistake” and would “pay for it.”
According to an anonymous official quoted in the Post, Israel’s retaliatory strike would be designed to avoid the appearance of “political interference” in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, scheduled for less than a month from now.
The U.S. administration has appeared to be trying to limit Israel’s response to Iran. President Biden has explicitly stated that the U.S. does not support any potential strike on Iranian nuclear sites, a course of action advocated by some in Israel, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. On October 4, Biden further signaled opposition to an Israeli strike on Iran’s oil facilities.
Israel has not officially disclosed its intended response to Iran’s missile attack, but Defence Minister Yoav Gallant hinted last week that the reaction would be “deadly, precise and above all surprising.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. has committed to bolstering Israel’s air defenses by deploying a high-altitude anti-missile system. The Pentagon announced the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, emphasizing the U.S.’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s defense.
