Republican lawmakers welcomed Israel’s overnight attack towards Iran and requested the general public to wish for the Jewish State, which waged strikes towards Tehran’s increasing nuclear program and navy management.
“Sport on. Pray for Israel,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a protection hawk, wrote Thursday night time on the social media platform X.
Comparable messages had been posted by different GOP members of Congress since Israel unleashed an assault that, to date, has killed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami, together with two different prime Iranian generals.
Speaker Mike Johnson echoed President Trump’s consistent warning that Iran by no means obtains a nuclear weapon in his response, commending the administration for working “tirelessly to make sure that final result.”
“Sadly, Iran has refused to agree and even declared yesterday its intent to construct a new enrichment facility,” Johnson posted to X on Friday.
“Israel determined it wanted to take motion to defend itself,” he added. “They had been clearly inside their proper to take action. Iran will face grave penalties if it responds by unjustifiably concentrating on U.S. pursuits.”
Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Overseas Relations Committee, additionally confirmed his assist for Israel late Thursday, following the strikes.
“We stand with Israel tonight and pray for the security of its individuals and the success of this unilateral, defensive motion. I’m additionally praying for the courageous U.S. service members within the Center East who hold America protected — Iran can be silly to assault the US,” he posted on X.
Israel carried out at the very least 5 rounds of strikes towards Iran, hitting dozens of targets, together with the Natanz, one among Iran’s major enrichment services. Israel mentioned the assault was unleashed to assist stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned in a video message that the operation, dubbed “Rising Lion,” would final “as many days because it takes.”
“We struck on the coronary heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. We struck on the coronary heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program. We focused Iran’s major enrichment facility in Natanz,” the prime minster mentioned in his handle, shared to X. “We focused Iran’s main nuclear scientists engaged on the Iranian bomb. We additionally struck on the coronary heart of Iran’s ballistic missile program.”
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the rating member on the Senate Armed Providers Commitee, mentioned that Israel’s “reckless escalation” threatens to ignite violence within the area and will jeopardize the security of People stationed within the Center East.
“Whereas tensions between Israel and Iran are actual and complicated, navy aggression of this scale is rarely the reply,” Reed mentioned late Thursday in an announcement.
“I urge each nations to point out rapid restraint, and I name on President Trump and our worldwide companions to press for diplomatic de-escalation earlier than this disaster spirals additional uncontrolled,” the Democratic senator added. “President Trump should be crystal clear with the American individuals and the worldwide group in charting a approach ahead. The world can not afford extra devastating battle born of short-sighted violence.”
Iran retaliated, launching over 100 drones, a few of whom are intercepted by the Israelis, in keeping with the Israeli navy.
Trump warned Iran Friday morning to accept a nuclear deal with the U.S. or it might face harsh penalties.
“I advised them it might be a lot worse than something they know, anticipated, or had been advised, that the US makes the most effective and most deadly navy tools anyplace within the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a variety of it, with rather more to return – And so they know easy methods to use it,” the president wrote on Fact Social.
He added in a subsequent post, “Now they’ve, maybe, a second likelihood!”
Iran, amid the stress, introduced Friday that they had been pulling out of the following spherical of nuclear talks that had been expected Sunday in Oman.