ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Former US President and Republican White House nominee Donald Trump on Friday said that he thinks Israel should strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, contending President Joe Biden’s opposition of the move.
When asked on Wednesday on whether he would support Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities in retaliation of the recent ballistic missile attack, Biden said “the answer is no."
During a campaign event in North Carolina on Friday, Trump claimed that Biden “got that one wrong,” calling nuclear weapons “the biggest risk we have,” and said that he would suggest such a strike.
"When they asked him [Biden] that question, the answer should have been, hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later," said Trump.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) launched around 200 ballistic missiles toward Tel Aviv and several other regions of Israel on Tuesday night. Tehran claimed that ninety percent of the missiles hit their targets, while Israel and the US said that most of the projectiles were intercepted.
Speaking at a White House press briefing, Biden reiterated Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security and said that Israel has the right to respond to the “vicious attacks” of Iran and its proxies, but opposed the idea of attacking Iranian oil facilities.
"If I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields," Biden told reporters, adding that they are in constant contact with the Israeli government on a potential retaliation against Iran.
Israeli top officials warned Iran to expect “severe consequences” following the attack.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight, and it will pay the price for it,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the Iranian attack a “failure”.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday said that Iran and its allies will continue the fight against Israel.
"The resistance in the region will not back down with these martyrdoms, and will win," said Khamenei.