WASHINGTON CNN —
Israel has not given the Biden administration any assurances that targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation for Iran’s ballistic missile attack earlier this week is off the table, a senior U.S. State Department official said Friday. told CNN.
The official added that “we really don’t know” whether Israel will use the anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack to retaliate.
Asked by CNN whether Israel had assured the US that Iran’s nuclear facilities were off the table, the official said: “We expect not only strength but also wisdom to come. “However, there is no guarantee.”
U.S. officials said earlier this week that they support Israel’s response to the Iranian missile attack, and several officials have publicly said there must be consequences. At the same time, officials have also expressed concern about regional conflagrations as they grapple with an increasingly unstable Middle East.
President Joe Biden said earlier this week that the United States would not support Israel in targeting Iran’s nuclear program.
“If I were in their shoes, I would consider alternatives to attacking the oil fields,” Biden said at a news conference Friday.
U.S. officials have not yet given clarity on when Israel’s response will be decided or implemented. The president said Friday that Israel “does not intend to make an immediate decision.”
Asked whether Israel would use the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack to retaliate against Iran, a senior State Department official told CNN: “It’s very difficult to say.”
“In some ways, they will want to avoid the 7th. So my guess is that if there is anything, it will be around,” the official said, adding that the solemnity of the day and Israel’s He pointed out that retaliation could potentially take away many benefits. What on earth happened that day?
The United States has been trying for nearly a year to prevent the conflict from escalating into a larger war, and has done so so far, officials said. Now, “this is on the brink,” the official added.
Biden said Friday that U.S. officials are in contact with Israeli officials “12 hours a day.”
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Wednesday that “significant efforts are being made on both sides to keep the lines of communication open and ensure that perspectives are understood.”
“There have been some amazing moments in recent months, but I don’t think it’s a secret,” he admitted.
“When it comes to Iran’s attack on Israel, it’s not just Israel that’s considering its response options. It’s the United States, too,” Campbell said at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event.
“Our main message is, ‘Let’s be very careful in everything we do regarding Iran,'” Campbell said.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Nikki Carvajal contributed to this report.
