A Senior U.S. State Department Official: Israel Has Given No Guarantee Not to Target Nuclear Facilities in Iran

CNN reported on Friday, October 5, citing a senior U.S. State Department official, that Israel has given no guarantee or assurance to the Biden administration that it will not target nuclear facilities in Iran. This U.S. official did not rule out the possibility of Israel responding to missile attacks from the Islamic Republic on the anniversary of the October 7 incident, adding, "Despite all possibilities, I guess the Israelis might respond to the recent missile attacks from the Islamic Republic before or after October 7." He also noted that the United States has been working over the past year to prevent a major war in the Middle East, but the likelihood of failure in these efforts and the onset of a widespread conflict has now increased. U.S. officials have repeatedly supported Israel's response to the Islamic Republic's missile attack in recent days but emphasized that the Middle East should not enter a full-scale war. President Joe Biden, in a press conference on Friday, October 5, stated that the Israelis have not yet decided on their response to the Islamic Republic's missile attack, and this matter is under review. He added, "The U.S. and Israeli teams are in constant contact daily," and said, "If I were in Israel's position, I would consider options other than attacking Iranian oil facilities." Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel, also stated on Friday that Israel would likely target Iran's "oil facilities" with extensive airstrikes and also symbolically attack facilities related to Iran's nuclear program. The Islamic Republic launched a missile attack on Israel with 180 missiles on Tuesday evening in "response to all of Israel's actions over the past year and the killing of senior commanders of the IRGC and the Islamic Republic's proxy forces in the region." Israeli officials reported that 90 percent of these missiles were intercepted before hitting Israeli territory, and the remaining 10 percent caused no significant damage or casualties. Israel immediately emphasized that it would respond strongly to these attacks. Reuters reported on the sensitive situation in the Middle East; has the countdown to war begun? Reuters report: Which nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic could be potential targets for Israel? "Washington is working with Israel to determine how to respond to Tehran's attack." The CIA is expanding its online recruitment of informants to China, Iran, and North Korea.