Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country will make decisions about its actions toward Iran in accordance with its own national interest, although it will listen to the United States. This was highlighted in an official statement from Netanyahu's office on Tuesday, linked to a publication in the Washington Post, reports Reuters.
The article claimed that Netanyahu had notified President Joe Biden's administration that Israel planned to strike Iranian military sites, not nuclear or oil facilities, indicating a more limited counterattack. The moves are expected to be in response to Iran's October 1 missile attack on Israel, which came amid an escalating conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
According to the publication, citing officials, Netanyahu proposed these more limited strikes to prevent the conflict from escalating into a full-scale war and to avoid the possibility of political interference in the upcoming US election.
The statement from Netanyahu's office said: "We are listening to the views of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests."
President Biden's administration has expressed opposition to strikes on Iran's nuclear and oil facilities, and oil markets remain volatile, worried about the possibility of Israeli attacks on Iranian oil fields. Gulf states have also lobbied Washington to prevent such strikes, fearing retaliation against their own facilities.