Biden says Israel shouldn’t strike Iranian nuclear sites, but US officials recognize it has a right to respond to attack

President Joe Biden is counseling Israel to take a proportional response to this week’s barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles, voicing opposition to a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in the hopes of preventing the conflict that has erupted in the region from widening further.

President Joe Biden is counseling Israel to take a proportional response to this week’s barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles, voicing opposition to a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in the hopes of preventing the conflict that has erupted in the region from widening further. American officials are not privately trying to persuade Israel to hold back on retaliating against Iran, two senior administration officials told CNN, a notable difference from April when Biden encouraged Israel to “take the win” following the successful interception of a barrage of Iranian drones and missiles. Instead, Biden hopes Israel will adopt a measured approach that can both uphold its right to strike back while avoiding action that could prompt further retaliation and tip the region into full-scale war. “No one’s saying don’t respond,” one senior administration official said. “No one’s saying, ‘Take the win.’” How that message will be received by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains to be seen, particularly as his political standing appears more assured following successful efforts to degrade Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Iran made a big mistake, and it will pay for it,” he said at the start of a security cabinet meeting Tuesday.