The News
Oil prices fell after Israel’s prime minister said that any retaliatory attacks on Iran would target its military, not energy infrastructure, according to a report.
Iran launched a missile barrage at Israel two weeks ago, its second direct attack this year. The region has since been bracing for Israel’s response, pushing crude prices up as traders expect a widening conflict to hit production.
But Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden during a phone call last week that Israel would only hit military targets, reported The Washington Post, citing two officials, and leave Iran’s oil facilities — and nuclear research program — untouched.
Israel will strike before November’s US election, the Post’s source said, as inaction would be viewed as weakness, adding that Netanyahu must balance the public’s demand for retaliation against Washington’s calls for restraint.