What’s Next for Israel and Iran? Biden Weighs In

President Biden has made his stance clear — he’s not on board with an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons sites. This comes amid rising tensions between the two countries, with Iran recently launching 200 rockets at Israel. But these rockets didn't do much damage and no one got hurt. The recent Iranian attacks follow a string of events, including the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israel. Israel had been striking at Hezbollah leadership for some time now, using novel tactics like electronic pager explosions.

Meanwhile, the White House has threatened consequences for Iran's attacks but isn’t keen on tightening sanctions on Iranian oil exports, despite calls from Congress to do so. The topic of Iran’s nuclear program even came up during the vice presidential debate. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, running mate to the Democratic candidate, didn’t commit to supporting an Israeli attack, while Republican Senator JD Vance said he would back whatever Israel decides. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown that he doesn't always listen to Biden’s advice. Just the other day, Netanyahu disregarded Biden's warning not to invade southern Lebanon to disable Hezbollah sites. Reports suggest that Biden’s warning wasn’t taken too seriously in Israel because there was no immediate threat and no diplomatic solutions were presented.

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