WASHINGTON, October 11. /TASS/. The US authorities recognize that any attempt to attack Iran's nuclear facilities "might only delay the country’s efforts to develop a nuclear bomb and could even strengthen Tehran’s resolve to do so," Reuters reported.

Commenting on the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure in retaliation for the October 1 Iranian attack, a senior official in US President Joe Biden's administration said: "We’re all watching this space very carefully."

On the evening of October 1, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, the elite unit of Iran’s armed forces) launched a massive ballistic and hypersonic missile attack against Israel in retaliation for the deaths of top leaders of the Hamas, Hezbollah and IRGC groups. Tehran said that 90% of the missiles successfully hit their designated targets. Israel, in turn, said that Iran had fired some 180 missiles into the country, most of which were intercepted.

The Israeli Chief of the General Staff vowed to "choose the right time" to surprise Iran with an attack, while Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Hebrew warned that attacks on Israel will be ramped up.

On October 2, Biden said he did not believe it would be appropriate for Israel to attack nuclear facilities in Iran. On the same day, former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that Israel had its best chance in 50 years to attack Iran and destroy its nuclear program.