Israel assures US it will not attack Iranian nuclear and oil facilities

(Patria) - Two US officials stated yesterday that President Joseph Biden's administration believes it has received assurances from Israel that it will not attack Iranian nuclear or oil facilities, at a time when it seeks to respond to Iran's barrage of missile fire from October 1st.

The administration also believes that sending the THAAD missile defense system to Israel and about a hundred soldiers to operate it has somewhat alleviated Israel's concerns about possible Iranian retaliation and security issues in general.

The Pentagon announced on Sunday that the deployment of this system will help strengthen Israel's air defense after Iran's drone and ballistic missile attacks in April and October, stating that it was approved based on President Biden's directive.

US officials, who made the statement on condition of anonymity, warned that the assurance is not firm and that circumstances may change.

They also mentioned that previous Israeli fulfillments of promises have been mixed and often reflected Israel's domestic politics, and that they have not met Washington's expectations.

The latest example is from September when Israeli officials told their American counterparts that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would welcome a ceasefire initiative led by the US and France in Lebanon.

The Israeli army then carried out a major airstrike in which the leader of Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed.