US President Joe Biden on Thursday told reporters in Washington that the idea of Israel striking Iran’s oil in retaliation for Tuesday’s ballistic missile attack was “in discussion,” as reports indicated that Israel was determined to strongly respond, but had not yet decided on the scope and timing.

Speaking to reporters as he headed to his Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House, Biden was asked if he supported Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities.

“We’re in discussion of that. I think — I think that would be a little — anyway,” Biden responded, adding that Israel would ultimately make its own decisions on how to respond to Iran’s massive missile strike.

“First of all, we don’t allow Israel. We advise Israel. And there’s nothing going to happen today. We’ll talk about that later,” Biden said.

Nevertheless, Hebrew media reports said the response was being closely coordinated between Washington and Jerusalem.

Citing the possibility of a phone call soon between Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Channel 12 said the “harsh response,” expected within days, and was being closely coordinated with the White House.

The report added that and that “many options” were being considered.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh refused to speculate on the nature of Israel’s response, saying only that the US would “continue to engage” with Jerusalem about it.

Meanwhile, a US official told Reuters that the US does not believe Israel has decided how to respond to Iran’s attack, including whether to hit its oil facilities.

“As the president said, we continue to have discussions with the Israelis about their response to Tuesday’s attack and we understand that they are still determining what exactly they will do,” the source said.

Netanyahu on Thursday was set to hold the latest in a series of top-level security consultations, as Israel decides how and when to respond to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, Channel 12 said.

“We have a lot of options,” Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told CNN Thursday. “So it’s [up to] us to decide where and when we want to attack, but they are vulnerable. They know that.”

Amid escalation with Tehran’s Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, Iran launched a massive ballistic missile barrage on Israel Tuesday, sending millions of Israelis into bomb shelters in Iran’s second-ever direct attack on Israel. Some damage was done to Israel’s air bases, though the IDF said it was “ineffective.” A Palestinian in the West Bank was killed by shrapnel, and two Israelis were injured.

Iran said the strike was in response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, a top IRGC general and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

At a high-level meeting after the attack, Israel decided to retaliate against Iran’s nuclear facilities or oil facilities, the Axios news site reported.

Biden’s comment that the Iran’s oil sites were “in discussion” caused oil prices to shoot up, amid fears of a sudden shock to the global supply.

Israel is also seeking to apply heavy diplomatic pressure on the US and the west in general to impose stringent new sanctions on Iran, Channel 12 said, elaborating that Israel sees not only a military opportunity to hit Iran hard, but also a chance to toughen the global stance and see the imposition of sanctions that the west has refused to impose for a long time.

The report cited defense sources confirming that the US would back Israel in its response and help defend Israel against further Iranian attacks.

The report noted that Israel’s current official war goals require it to avoid a regional war, and asserted — without elaboration or sourcing — that this “will certainly be weighed in the future.”

It added that the Israeli Air Force is ready “for a series of actions and responses” and is awaiting the political echelon’s instructions.

After Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned Wednesday night that an Israeli response to its ballistic missile attack would prompt “a stronger response” from Iran, Iranian commentators were predicting that Iran would fire 1,000 missiles at Israel and target civilian infrastructure, Channel 12 reported.

Ohad Hemo, the network’s regional affairs reporter, also said reports in Iran have claimed Tehran fired 400 missiles at Israel Tuesday, more than double the 181 that Israel has reported.

Hemo said the Iranian regime sees the current escalated conflict as a “moment of truth” and an “existential war for the Axis of Resistance it has put together,” referring to the network of Islamic militias that includes Hezbollah, Hamas and Yemen’s Houthis.

Israel has in the past two weeks escalated its attacks on Hezbollah, virtually decimating its entire top command — including the terror group’s longtime chief Nasrallah on Friday.

Since Hezbollah, the intended spearhead of that axis, was weakened, the current conflict was really a direct case of Iran against Israel, Hemo noted.

He quoted Pezeshkian saying in Qatar Wednesday night that, if Israel “wants to react, we will have a stronger response; this is what the Islamic Republic is committed to.”

But he also said Pezeshkian talked of other states that Israel ostensibly has in its sights after Gaza and Lebanon. Hemo interpreted that comment as indicating the regime’s “real concern” of an Israeli attack.

In his comments Wednesday, Pezeshkian claimed Iran was “not looking for war; it is Israel that forces us to react.”

“The dirty goal of the Zionist regime is to cause insecurity and spread crisis in the region,” Pezeshkian also said. “What we want from US and European countries is to tell the entity they have planted in the region (Israel) to stop the bloodshed.”

But “any type of military attack, terrorist act or crossing our red lines will be met with a decisive response by our armed forces,” he said.

With Israel reportedly considering targeting Iranian oil facilities, Channel 12 said that Iranians have been ordered not to fill up their cars with more than 30 liters of fuel for now.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that at a meeting in Qatar, representatives of Gulf Arab states — some of which have helped Israel shoot down Iranian projectiles — expressed concerned that their oil facilities could be targeted by Iran.

Tehran has not threatened to attack Gulf oil facilities but it has warned that if “Israel supporters” intervene directly their interests in the region would be targeted, Reuters said.

“The Gulf states think it’s unlikely that Iran will strike their oil facilities, but the Iranians are dropping hints they might from unofficial sources. It’s a tool the Iranians have against the US and the global economy,” Ali Shihabi, a Saudi commentator close to the Royal Court, told the news agency.