Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was one of many members of Congress who stated that he supports the Jewish state as the Israeli Air Force launched what it said was a “preemptive” strike on Iranian military and nuclear targets.
“Our commitment to Israel must be absolute, and I fully support this attack. Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel,” the Pennsylvania Democrat stated. “We must provide whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry—to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”
Another outspoken pro-Israel Democrat, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), stated that “the Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, providing substantial support to proxies like Hamas—the perpetrators of the Oct. 7 massacre.”
“Most alarming of all, Iran is a threshold nuclear power with the stated goal of wiping Israel off the map. Make no mistake: Israel is not the aggressor,” he said. “It is defending itself against an existential threat that long predates the present preemptive strike.”
“The true aggressor is the Islamic Republic and its empire of terror, an empire stained with the blood of innocent Israelis,” Torres said.
Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that “we stand with Israel tonight and pray for the safety of its people and the success of this unilateral, defensive action.”
“I am also praying for the brave U.S. service members in the Middle East who keep America safe,” he wrote. “Iran would be foolish to attack the United States.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) asked all Americans to join him “in praying for the safety of U.S. personnel in the Middle East and the safety and success of Israel as it takes action against a leading state sponsor of terrorism and our shared enemy, Iran.”
“Iran is the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism, has the blood of thousands of Americans on its hands and is rushing to build not only nuclear weapons, but also missiles that can strike the United States,” stated Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). “We back Israel to the hilt, all the way.”
“And if the ayatollahs harm a single American, that will be the end of the ayatollahs,” Cotton said.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, were among those to articulate support for Israel, as did Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican.
