'Hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later': Trump urges Israel to strike Iran

Trump's comments came in response to US President Joe Biden's earlier statements cautioning Israel against striking Iranian nuclear facilities.

 Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump speaks at a town hall as he campaigns in Fayetteville, North Carolina, US. October 4, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Drake)
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump speaks at a town hall as he campaigns in Fayetteville, North Carolina, US. October 4, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Drake)

Former president Donald Trump stated that Israel should target Iran's nuclear facilities while speaking at a campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Friday.

Trump's comments came in response to US President Joe Biden's earlier statements cautioning Israel against striking Iranian nuclear facilities.

"I think [Biden] got that wrong. Isn't that what you're supposed to hit?" Trump asked.

"The answer should have been to hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later," the former president said.

Bidens earlier comments

Earlier, when asked if he supported an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, Biden, while speaking to reporters, said "No."

Biden said that his administration was in contact with the Israelis regarding the response and that he would soon speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

 Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump points to a supporter at the end of a town hall as he campaigns in Fayetteville, North Carolina, US. October 4, 2024.  (credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Drake)
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump points to a supporter at the end of a town hall as he campaigns in Fayetteville, North Carolina, US. October 4, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Drake)

On Wednesday, Biden joined a conversation with G7 countries — the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom — on the Israeli-Iranian crisis as attacks threatened to spark a larger regional conflict.

“They discussed Iran's unacceptable attack against Israel” and the need for a coordinated response, including additional sanctions on Iran, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One.

“Biden expressed the United States’s full solidarity and support to Israel and its people and reaffirmed the United States’s commitment to Israel's security,” she said.


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The United States has warned Iran it will face consequences for that attack but has remained focused on diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Israel has doubled down on military resolutions to ensure the security of its situation.

Tovah Lazaroff and Hannah Sarisohn contributed to this report.