Biden tells 'Israel' he would eye alternatives to striking Iranian oil
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Biden says he is unsure if Benjamin Netanyahu was attempting to sway the presidential election results in the US.
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President Joe Biden speaks during a surprise appearance to take questions during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington on October 4, 2024. (AP)
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that were he in "Israel's" shoes, he would consider alternatives to hitting Iranian oil sites, but he believes "Israel" has not yet decided how to respond.
Biden told reporters at a White House news briefing that "the Israelis have not concluded what they are going to do in terms of a strike. That's under discussion," however, he stated that "if I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oilfields."
Tensions have risen as "Israel" considers how and if it will respond to Tehran's ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, dubbed Operation True Promise 2 by the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, which Iran launched in retaliation to "Israel's" crimes in the region.
Lebanon's caretaker Minister of Health, Firass Abiad, announced on Thursday that the death toll of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon since October 8 has risen to 1,974, including 127 children and 261 women, with an additional 9,384 people injured, marking a preliminary figure amid the ongoing Israeli aggression.
Between October 2 and October 3, the Israeli aggression deliberately murdered 28 health workers in Lebanon, according to the World Health Organization Director-General.
Biden was also asked if he believed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was attempting to influence the presidential election in the US, in which Republican former President Donald Trump would face Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to Biden, "No administration has done more to help Israel than I have," adding that if Netanyahu was doing so, he was unsure and not "counting on that."
IRGC deputy chief: 'We'll target Israel's power, gas if provoked'
The deputy chief of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Brigadier General Ali Fadavi, has issued a stern warning to "Israel", stating that any misstep by the entity would endanger its very existence.
In an exclusive interview for Al Mayadeen, Fadavi said, “If the occupying entity makes a mistake, we will target all its energy sources, including power stations, refineries, and gas fields.”
He emphasized the contrast between Iran and the Israeli entity, pointing out that while Iran is a large country with many economic centers, "Israel" is limited to just three power stations and a few refineries.
Fadavi asserted that Iran has the capability to strike all of these targets simultaneously.
In a related context, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, told Al Mayadeen that "Israel" will face a severe and devastating response for any reckless actions.
"We have exercised restraint and patience in the past, but we are ready to deliver a precise and devastating strike at the appropriate time," he added.
He emphasized that Iran would respond with greater force if its enemies make any misstep, as it did when it launched missile strikes against "Israel" in retaliation for the assassinations of Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, and General Abbas Nilforooshan, the Deputy Commander for Operations of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC).
