Joe Biden's Advice to Israel to Avoid Attacking Iran's Oil Facilities

The President of the United States stated that if he were in Israel's position, he would consider other options for retaliation instead of targeting Iran's oil facilities. In a press conference on October 5, Biden added that he believes Israel has not yet reached a final decision on how to respond to Iran's missile attack. This comes as global oil prices have increased by six percent in recent days following Iran's missile attack on Israel on the evening of October 2, coinciding with rising speculation about potential retaliatory strikes by Israel on Iran's oil facilities. If this trend continues, it could negatively impact the Democratic Party's position in the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. Biden had previously advised Israel not to strike Iran's nuclear facilities in retaliation for the recent missile attacks, a statement that drew a response from Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate. Trump stated that Israel should first target Iran's nuclear facilities in response to the missile attack, asserting that Biden had made a mistake and that Iran obtaining nuclear weapons is the 'greatest threat we face.' According to Trump, the U.S. President's response should have been to 'hit the nuclear facilities first and then think about the rest.' Ali Khamenei stated that if necessary, Iran would attack Israel again in the future. Biden also emphasized that Israel has not yet decided how to respond to Iran's missile attack, but he insisted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should remember U.S. support for Israel when making decisions about next steps. Biden mentioned that his administration has been working to mobilize the international community to prevent the escalation of war in the Middle East. While Western countries condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel, Khamenei claimed that the attack was 'legitimate and legal' and stated that the Iranian government would carry out such actions again 'if necessary.' His speech came hours after massive explosions in the suburbs of Beirut and reports of the ambiguous condition of Hashem Safieddine, a potential future leader of Hezbollah, who has been targeted by Israel. Hezbollah is both a militia group and a political party that controls a large part of southern Lebanon. Israel had previously killed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, along with several military leaders in airstrikes on Hezbollah's command center in southern Beirut. The United States designates Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, while the European Union has placed its military wing on the blacklist but does not consider its political wing to be terrorist. Hezbollah also has representatives in the Lebanese parliament. Khamenei further stated that Iran and the Islamic Republic's proxy groups in the region, which he refers to as the 'Axis of Resistance,' will not retreat against Israel. Iranian proxy groups in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen have increased attacks on Israel following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah. Israel is currently conducting ground operations in parts of southern Lebanon and throughout the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the 'Al-Qassam Brigades,' the military wing of the extremist group Hamas, confirmed the death of one of its commanders, Zahi Yasser Oufi, in an Israeli attack on Thursday in Tulkarm in the West Bank. The United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist organization. Hamas also announced that in an Israeli drone strike on Saturday, October 14, on a Palestinian camp in Lebanon, one of its commanders, Said Attaallah Ali, along with his family, was killed. The New York Times reported, citing several U.S. officials, that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the extremist group Hamas, has taken a harder stance in recent weeks, preferring to drag Israel into a wider regional conflict over a ceasefire.