From Israel on Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pushed for a US war against Iran while acknowledging that US soldiers in the region could get “hit” by Iranian counterattacks, a risk he said was worth it.
“Could our soldiers be hit in the region? Absolutely, they could. Can Iran respond if we have an all-out attack? Absolutely, they can,” Graham said during a press briefing at the David Kempinski hotel in Tel Aviv.
All signs indicate that if the US bombs Iran, Tehran will not hold back in its response or provide the US with a warning ahead of time as it did before launching retaliatory missile strikes on the US’s Al Udeid airbase in Qatar following the US airstrikes on its nuclear facilities. Many US bases and warships are in range of Iranian missiles, leaving open the possibility of thousands of US casualties if Iran goes all-out with its response.
“I think the risk associated with that is far less than the risk associated with blinking and pulling the plug and not helping the people as you promised. We told him to go back in the street, keep protesting, help was on the way. We have to be good to our word,” Graham said, referring to President Trump’s threats to bomb Iran amid recent major protests in the country.
Elsewhere in his remarks to the press, Graham claimed that the US and Israel are “on the verge of eliminating the largest state sponsor of terror in the region,” a reference to the Iranian government. Graham met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the press conference and delivered a message for the Israeli leader about Israel’s relationship with the UAE.
“Bibi wanted me to tell the press that he’s amazed by the level of cooperation and the significance of the partnership of the United Arab Emirates,” Graham said, adding that he was traveling to the UAE and Saudi Arabia following his visit to Israel.
At the top of his press conference, Graham said he visits Israel every two weeks, an extraordinary frequency for a US senator to visit a foreign country. “I’m back. I come here every two weeks whether I need to or not,” he told reporters.
