Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday and Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel after hitting an Israeli hospital overnight, as a week-old air war escalated with no sign yet of an exit strategy from either side.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has kept the world guessing about whether the United States might join the war on Israel’s side, said he would make a decision within the next two weeks.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, quoting a message from the president.
As president, Trump has commonly used “two weeks” as a timeframe for making decisions, meaning it may not be a firm deadline.
“Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon. All they need is a decision from the Supreme Leader to do that, and it would take a couple of weeks to complete the production of that weapon,” Leavitt said.
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Israel launched a sweeping aerial campaign against Iran on Friday, calling it a preemptive strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has denied plans to develop such weapons and retaliated by launching counterstrikes on Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran’s “tyrants” would pay the “full price” for a strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel’s southern city of Beersheba
“Are we targeting the downfall of the regime? That may be a result, but it’s up to the Iranian people to rise for their freedom,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli military spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin accused Iran of deliberately targeting civilians in the hospital attack.
“That is state-sponsored terror and a blatant violation of international law,” Defrin told a press briefing.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted Israeli military and intelligence headquarters near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby.
