Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly stated that he will prioritize his country's security situation in deciding how to retaliate against Iran.
According to the Times of Israel on the 15th (local time), the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued a statement in the morning saying, "We listen to the views of the U.S. government, but the final decision will be made based on Israel's national security needs."
This was in response to a report by the Washington Post (WP) the previous day, citing multiple officials, that Netanyahu expressed during a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden on the 9th his intention to strike military facilities rather than Iran's nuclear or oil-related sites.
WP quoted officials as saying that Israel's retaliatory measures would be coordinated to avoid the perception of political interference in the U.S. presidential election.
On the 1st, Iran launched about 200 ballistic missiles at the Israeli mainland. At that time, Iran claimed it was retaliation for those assassinated by Israel, mentioning Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
Israel has been weighing the timing and method of its follow-up attack on Iran, but the U.S. is discouraging this, viewing it as potentially escalating the conflict in the Middle East.
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