US President Biden says Israel should strike Iran 'proportionally' – rejects strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities

U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters on Wednesday that Washington and the other G7 countries support Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran's aggression, provided it responds “proportionally.”

“We’ll be discussing with the Israelis what they’re going to do, but all seven of us agree that they have a right to respond but they should respond proportionally,” Biden stated, referring to the Iranian regime’s unprecedented attack when it fired 181 missiles fired at Israel on Tuesday.

“Obviously, Iran is way off course,” Biden added, emphasizing that the United States and the other (Group of Seven) G7 leading industrialized nations “unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel.”

However, the U.S. president stressed that the White House does not back a potential Israeli strike on Iran’s controversial nuclear sites.

“The answer is no,” Biden said. While the U.S. President has previously pledged that Washington will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and pose a threat to Israel’s existence and regional stability, the Biden administration has so far refrained from using military force to eliminate the Iranian nuclear threat.

Following Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel in April, the Biden administration pressured Israel to refrain from a strong response. However, Washington supports an Israeli response that is in proportion. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized that there would be “severe consequences” for the Iranian regime's missile attack on Israel this week.

“We are proud of the actions that we’ve taken alongside Israel to protect and defend Israel. We have made clear that there will be consequences – severe consequences – for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case,” Sullivan said without elaborating on the specifics.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet that the Islamic nation had crossed the line and made a “big mistake” by launching an attack.

“This evening, Iran made a big mistake – and it will pay for it. The regime in Tehran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and to exact a price from our enemies,” Netanyahu stated.

“Sinwar and Deif did not understand this; neither did Nasrallah or Mohsen. Apparently, there are those in Tehran who do not understand this either. They will. We will keep to the rule we have determined: Whoever attacks us – we attack them,” Netanyahu affirmed.

On Wednesday, in a barely-veiled warning to Iran, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi emphasized that Israel Defense Forces can “reach and strike any point in the Middle East.”

“Those of our enemies who have not understood this until now will understand it soon,” Halevi stated during a visit to Israel's Tel Nof Airbase.

“Iran fired about 200 missiles at the State of Israel yesterday. Iran attacked civilian areas and endangered the lives of many civilians. Thanks to proper civilian behavior and high-quality defense, the damage is relatively small,” the IDF chief added. “We will respond; we know how to locate important targets; we know how to strike accurately and powerfully.”

It is unclear when and how Israel will respond to the latest Iranian missile attack.

Some pundits have argued that the Jewish state could potentially target some of Iran’s most strategic assets, in particular its nuclear and oil refining facilities.