BY ANDY WELLS
WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden has said he would oppose any potential Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
On Wednesday, the US president said 'no' when asked if he would back its Middle East ally going after Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
His comments came as Israel killed at least six people as it bombed central Beirut early on Thursday, a day after its own forces suffered their deadliest day on the Lebanese front in a year – with eight soldiers killed.
For Britons still looking to flee Lebanon, the UK government was continuing to fly chartered flights out of Lebanon. More than 150 British nationals and dependants were on the first flight out on Wednesday.
Israel has promised to retaliate for the massive Iranian missile attack on Tuesday night, which was launched in retaliation to the assassination of the Iran-backed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and subsequent assault in Lebanon. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is in a “difficult war against Iran's Axis of Evil, which wants to destroy us”.
More than 1,900 people have been killed and 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting, with most of the deaths occurring in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics.
Biden doesn’t back Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities
The US president said he would not support strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities by Israel as Netanyahu has promised to retaliate against Tehran for the ballistic attacks that were largely repelled on Tuesday.
Asked on Wednesday whether he would endorse Israel going after Iranian facilities as he boarded Air Force One, Biden told reporters: “The answer is no.” He also reiterated what he described as “full solidarity and support to Israel and its people” on the part of the United States.
The president’s comments come just after he and other G7 leaders concluded a phone call during which they discussed coordinating new sanctions against Iran in the wake of the failed ballistic missile attack, during which US and Israeli forces intercepted nearly 200 warheads.