Biden said more sanctions would be imposed on Iran and that he would speak soon with Netanyahu.
“Obviously, Iran is way off course,” he said.
Israeli officials have told US counterparts they are still finalizing targets, timing and means for a response to Iran’s missile attack, according to a person in Washington familiar with the discussions.
Israel may not feel compelled to strike back immediately, given its success in thwarting the Iranian attack. But it is unlikely to wait for long out of concern a retaliatory move would lose effectiveness as a deterrent if delayed, the US source said.
Unlike in the aftermath of the Iran’s April attack, the US is not pressing Israel to refrain from retaliation but wants Israel to carefully consider potential consequences first, the source said.
Iran’s missile attack escalated tensions in the region, where the Biden administration has for months led intense negotiations on a ceasefire in the nearly year-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and regularly predicted one was imminent.
Biden, in the waning months of his term, already faces sharp criticism at home and abroad for staunch US military support of Israel, as does his vice president and the Democrats’ presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.
