US President Joe Biden is expected to hold a phone call on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that will include a discussion of any plans to strike Iran, Axios reported late on Tuesday, citing three US officials.
Axios quoted a US official as saying, "We want to use the call to try to shape the limitations of the Israeli retaliation."
Axios cited the US official as saying that Washington wants to make sure Israel attacks targets in Iran that are significant without being disproportionate.
The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel's response to a missile attack from Iran last week that Tehran carried out in retaliation for Israel's military escalation in Lebanon.
From the success of the Iron Dome, the Iranian attack killed no one in Israel, and Washington called it ineffective.
Netanyahu has promised that Iran would pay for its missile attack, while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with "vast destruction," raising fears of a broader war in the region, which could draw in the United States.
Israel's retaliation will be a key subject of the call, with Washington hoping to weigh in on whether Israel's response is appropriate, a separate person briefed on the discussions said.
Biden and Netanyahu
Israel has faced calls to strike a ceasefire deal in Gaza and Lebanon by the United States and other allies. Still, it has said it will continue its military operations until Israel is safe.
Biden and Netanyahu are also expected to discuss the conflicts with Hamas in Gaza and with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has said it is defending itself after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 innocent people and taking 250 hostages, and against other terrorists, including Hezbollah, who support Hamas.
The US has said it supports Israel going after Iran-backed targets like Hezbollah and Hamas.
Biden and Netanyahu have had sharp differences over the conduct of the war in recent months, setting up a potentially tense encounter. Biden said last Friday that he would consider alternatives to attacking Iranian oil fields if he were in Israel's position. He added that he believed Israel had not yet decided how to respond to Iran.