Israel weighs US warnings against striking Iran’s energy sites

Israel said it is listening to US misgivings about its planned counter-strike against Iran but will act based on its own assessments, following a report suggesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could spare Tehran’s nuclear and energy facilities from any immediate reprisal.

“We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests,” according to a statement Tuesday from the prime minister’s office.

The statement came after a report in the Washington Post saying Netanyahu agreed to limit his retaliation for an Oct. 1 Iranian ballistic missile salvo to military targets. The report cited two officials familiar with the matter whom it didn’t identify.


Israel’s potential response to the Iranian attack has been the latest strain in ties with Biden administration, which has sought unsuccessfully to secure a truce in the country’s conflicts with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both organizations are designated terrorist groups by the US.

A major escalation could engulf more of the Middle East in war and potentially impact next month’s US presidential election. Oil dropped, with West Texas Intermediate futures falling 2.8% to $71.78 a barrel, after losing 2.3% on Monday.

Israel and the US have been conferring regularly as Netanyahu prepares his nation’s response. Israel is due to receive a US-supplied and operated missile defense system, known as THAAD, that would enhance its ability to fend off any future ballistic missile salvos. But some analysts have said the deployment, along with approximately 100 US troops, could also hinder Israel’s ability to act alone against Iran.