Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the United States that Israel will limit its retaliatory attacks against Iran to military targets and will forgo attacks on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and oil facilities, according to a report in the Washington Post.
The paper cited two sources as saying that Netanyahu make the comments to U.S. President Joe Biden during their phone conversation last week – the first time the two leaders had spoked in more than seven weeks.
In response, the Prime Minister’s Office said that “we are listening to the opinions of the U.S. administration, but we will make our final decisions based on Israel’s national interest.”
In recent weeks, the United States and several European countries have tried to dissuade Israel from attacking Iran’s oil facilities as part of its expected response to the Iranian missile attack earlier this month.
The U.S. administration is particularly concerned about an Israeli response that will cause prices to rise in the global energy market on the eve of the US presidential elections.
A source familiar with the details of the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu said that Israel would react in a way that would not appear as if it was trying to interfere in the presidential elections.
However, the source added, Israel’s attack would be carried out before the November 5 elections, since the lack of a response would be interpreted by Iran as a sign of weakness. “This will be just the first in a series of reactions,” he said.
