Netanyahu approves strikes on Iran – ABC News

The Israeli PM has reportedly signed off on targets for Israel’s response to Tehran’s missile attack, a source told the outlet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly signed off on a list of targets that could be struck in response to Tehran’s missile strikes earlier this month.

On October 1, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in response to the killings of the heads of Hamas and Hezbollah and an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general last month. 

Since then, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has threatened to deliver a “deadly, pinpoint accurate, and surprising” response to Iran, while Israeli officials have called for devastating strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, including nuclear facilities.

On Thursday, an unnamed Israeli source reportedly told ABC News that Netanyahu had approved the set of targets. However, the source did not provide any specific details on the targets or whether they are strictly related to the Iranian military. 

The ABC report also noted that no timeline had yet been decided for the retaliatory strikes.

Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported that Netanyahu had promised US President Joe Biden that Israel would only strike Iranian military targets in its response. That’s after Biden urged the Israeli leader to refrain from striking Tehran’s oil or nuclear infrastructure.

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Meanwhile, Tehran has urged the Jewish state to refrain from taking further disproportionate escalatory steps. On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned UN chief Antonio Guterres that Iran would deliver a “decisive and regretful” response if Israel chose to attack the country in retaliation for the October 1 missile strikes.

In a phone call with the UN secretary-general, Araghchi stated that, while Iran has been making “all-out efforts to protect the peace and security of the region,” it remains “fully prepared” to respond to any “adventures” by Israel.

He called on Guterres to use the UN’s resources to “stop the crimes and aggressions of the Israeli regime and to send humanitarian aid to Lebanon and Gaza.”