Washington: If President Joe Biden were in Israel, he would consider options other than attacking Iranian oil fields, he stated on Friday, adding that he believes Israel has not decided how to respond to Iran yet.
Joe Biden urged Israel to avoid targeting Iranian oilfields
“The Israelis have not decided how they will carry out their strike. That’s under discussion,” Biden stated to reporters during a White House press briefing.
“If I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oilfields,” said the president.
Israel has been considering its options for responding to Tehran’s Tuesday missile attack, which it had carried out in response to Israel’s military action in Lebanon, which has resulted in heightened tensions between Iran and Israel.
Biden was also questioned about whether he believed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to influence the results of the Nov. 5 U.S. election between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris by a lack of diplomatic outreach.
In reaction, Biden stated, “I don’t know if he is trying to influence the election, but I am not counting on that. No administration has done more to help Israel than I have.”
According to Israeli counts, the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian Hamas militants resulted in 1,200 deaths and about 250 hostages being captured during the most recent round of bloodshed in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israel’s following attack on Hamas-governed Gaza resulted in the deaths of approximately 41,000 Palestinians, forced nearly the entire population to flee, created an acute food crisis, and sparked allegations of genocide, which Israel denies.
Following its recent military operation into Lebanon, Israel has caused over a million displacements, thousands of injuries, and hundreds of deaths. Israel claims to be targeting Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon who are supported by Iran.
