Israel has given no assurances to Joe Biden's administration that targeting Iran's nuclear facilities is out of the question, pending the Jewish state's retaliation for the ballistic missile attack earlier this week by the ayatollahs' regime.
A senior State Department official told CNN it is "really hard to say" whether Israel will use the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks to retaliate.
"We hope and expect to see some wisdom other than force, but there is no guarantee of that," was the official's response when asked if Israel had assured the US that Iran's nuclear facilities would not be affected. US officials have expressed support for Israel's response to Iran's missile attack, with many officials publicly stating that there must be consequences.
At the same time, however, concerns have been expressed about an expansion of the conflict as they face an increasingly volatile Middle East. President Joe Biden said earlier this week that the US does not support Israel striking Iran's nuclear program.
"If I were in their place, I would think of other alternatives than hitting the oil fields," Biden said at a press conference on Friday.
The Republican candidate for the November presidential elections, Donald Trump, meanwhile, added fuel to the fire with his advice. Israel, the former president said from a campaign rally in North Carolina, must strike the Islamic Republic's nuclear targets. "Nuclear weapons are the greatest danger," Trump said, and if they plan to do it, they will certainly do it. Meanwhile, Israel has continued bombing overnight in Beirut, where residents of the suburban neighborhood of Dahieh, Hezbollah's stronghold, have been asked to evacuate at least 500 meters away.
Warnings have also been issued to residents of more than 20 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate their homes and move north as the Israeli army continues its ground campaign against Hezbollah.