Israel plans to hit Iran's nukes, Joe Biden urges proportionate response

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday (local time) said he was against Israel over its plan to strike Iran's nuclear facilities in response to Tehran's missile attacks on the Jewish nation and stressed that Tel Aviv should act "proportionately".

Reacting to reports on Israel's plans to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and oil rigs in response to Tuesday's attacks on the Jewish nation, Biden said that Israel had a right to defend itself, but it should do so "proportionately", The Times of Israel reported. He also spoke to G7 leaders over the possibility of imposing new sanctions on Tehran.

Following the G7 meeting that was held over a phone call, the White House said Biden had coordinated the multilateral rollout of the new sanctions against Iran. The G7 leaders, including Biden, "unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel", which marked a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

Top points:

1. Biden said more sanctions would be imposed on Iran over Tuesday's attacks on Israel and that he would speak soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When asked for a response over Israel planning to hit Iran's nuclear and oil sites, Biden said, "The answer is no."

2. According to analysts, Israel's response would be more severe than when Iran launched missiles and drones at the Jewish nation in April, suggesting that it could target Tehran's nuclear or oil facilities this time. Other experts were of the view that the US should attempt to moderate Israel's response in a bid to avoid a regional war in the Middle East.

3. Biden said he would speak to Israel, including Netanyahu, over its plans to strike Iran, while asserting that Tehran has gone "way off course". He said, "We'll be discussing with the Israelis what they're going to do, but all seven of us (G7 nations) agree that they have a right to respond but they should respond proportionally."

4. Meanwhile, Israeli officials told their US counterparts that they were still finalising targets and timing for a response to Iran's missile attacks, said a person in Washington familiar with the discussions, news agency Reuters reported.

5. Iran's missile attack coupled with Israel's offensive on Hezbollah in Lebanon have escalated tensions in the Middle East, where the Biden administration has been rushing to broker a ceasefire deal in the nearly year-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, as threat looms over the possibility of a full-blown war in the region.