Biden Won't Support Nuke Site Strike   10/03 06:02

   President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will not support an Israeli strike on 
sites related to Tehran's nuclear program in response to Iran's missile attack 
on Israel.

   JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AP) -- President Joe Biden said Wednesday he will 
not support an Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran's nuclear program in 
response to Iran's missile attack on Israel.

   "The answer is no," Biden told reporters when asked if he would support such 
retaliation after Iran fired about 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday.

   Biden's comments came after he and fellow Group of Seven leaders from 
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom spoke by telephone 
about coordinating new sanctions against Iran.

   The U.S. and allies are scrambling to keep the Mideast conflict -- sparked 
by Iran-backed Hamas militants' in Gaza's Oct. 7 attack on Israel -- from 
spreading further. They are urging Israel to show restraint as it weighs 
retaliation against Iran for Tuesday's attack.

   Israel is now carrying out what it has described as limited ground 
operations across its northern border with Lebanon to dig out Hezbollah, 
another Iran-backed group, after carrying out a series of massive air strikes 
that killed the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and decimated its leadership.

   Last month, thousands of explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies used 
by Hezbollah detonated, killing dozens of people and maiming thousands, 
including many civilians. Israel is widely believed to be behind the attack

   Biden stated his opposition to Israel hitting Iranian nuclear facilities as 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu weighed a range of options in how to 
respond to Tuesday's attack. It was the second such attack by Iran on Israel in 
less than six months.

   Israel's choices range from a largely symbolic strike -- similar to how 
Israel responded after Iran launched a barrage of missiles and attack drones in 
April -- to hitting oil facilities and other infrastructure.

   Targeting Iran's controversial nuclear program is seen as perhaps the most 
provocative action that Israel could take. It's one that the Democratic 
president believes could further enflame a Mideast conflict that he already 
worries could develop into a broader regional conflict.

   The White House said in a statement that G7 leaders "unequivocally condemned 
Iran's attack against Israel" and that Biden reaffirmed America's "full 
solidarity and support to Israel and its people."

   Biden added that he supports Israel's right to defend itself and "there are 
things that have to be done" in response to the Iranian barrage. He said he 
expected sanctions from the G7 nations to be announced soon.

   "We will be discussing with the Israelis what they are going to do," Biden 
told reporters before heading to the Carolinas to see the devastation caused by 
Hurricane Helene. "All seven of us agree that they have a right to respond."

   The office of Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said in a statement that the 
leaders expressed "strong concern for the escalation of these last hours" and 
emphasized that "a conflict on a regional scale is in no one's interest." Italy 
holds the rotating presidency of the G7 group of industrialized democracies.

   Biden said that he planned to speak with Netanyahu "relatively soon."

   Biden's administration has signaled that it is urging Israel to display 
restraint in how it responds to Iran's missile attack, which Biden said was 
"ineffective and defeated."

   The U.S. military helped Israel defend against the attack that Iran carried 
out in retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed leaders of Lebanese 
Hezbollah.

   Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said there "must be a return 
message" to Iran. He said the U.S. and Israel officials continue to discuss 
their response.

   "At the same time, I think we recognize as important as the response of some 
kind should be, there is a recognition that the region is really balancing on a 
knife's edge," Campbell said at a forum hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for 
International Peace, a Washington think tank.

   Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Wednesday with his counterparts 
Britain, France, Germany, and Italy to discuss the situation in the Middle East.