Reverberations from Israel’s likely assassination of a Hezbollah leader on Iranian soil on Wednesday quickly reached the U.S. Capitol. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, but nobody else is being blamed, leading Israeli journalist Caroline Glick noted on Washington Watch Wednesday.
Hayniyeh, likely, is the third high-level target taken down by Israel Defense Forces in less than a month, two from Hamas and one from Hezbollah. Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s chief of staff, was killed in a targeted Beirut airstrike just days after a Hezbollah rocket killed 12 Israeli children and teenagers on a soccer field in the Golan Heights. Earlier in July, Israel claimed responsibility for an attack that killed, Mohammed Deif, a top Hamas military commander in Gaza.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) says he’s had enough of pretending that Iran, which supports Hezbollah and Hamas with money and means, isn’t a direct participant in the war against Israel, a U.S. ally.
Israel’s terrorist triple play – plus a report on Iran’s increasing nuclear abilities by Avril Haines, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence – has Graham ready to take on the head of the snake. He submitted legislation on Wednesday that moves the U.S. closer to engagement in what could be an expanding war in the Middle East.
“I’m trying to avoid having the war escalate, and there’s only one way to achieve that goal. If you let Iran know that they will be responsible for the actions of Hezbollah if they attack Israel, that you would go after Iranian oil refineries, not just targets in Lebanon, I think Hezbollah would calm down,” Graham told show host Tony Perkins.
The International Atomic Energy Agency believes Iran is very close to having enough enriched uranium to produce two nuclear weapons. That means Iran would be weeks or days from a nuke, not months or years. Graham didn’t cite specifics of the DNI report, but it spurred him to action.
“As to their nuclear program, I introduced legislation authorizing the use of military force by the United States if the president determines that Iran is about to break out toward a nuclear weapon,” he said. Graham admitted he was “unnerved” by what he saw in the DNI report.
Graham’s legislation could allow the president to move quickly if an attack against Iran was judged necessary. But the question in the current political climate in the U.S. is, who’s making that call?
It’s not Biden with his finger on the button
“It's pretty obvious that Joe Biden was 'couped' out of running for president – and if he was 'couped' out of running for president, then he's certainly not the one calling the shots inside the Oval Office,” Blaze show host Auron MacIntyre argued on American Family Radio Thursday.
“I believe that has been the case for quite a while, but it is as obvious as it can be to anybody who's paying attention now. The United States has no clue who is in charge, who’s the president, who’s acting as the chief executive under Article II,” MacIntyre told show host Jenna Ellis.
Most likely a decision for a U.S. attack on a sovereign nation would be made by a small group of unelected officials, MacIntyre said.
“Probably a small council of them from somewhere inside the deep state, the White House, the crossover of power centers there. The fact that that is even a question in a moment in which we could be pulled into a wider geopolitical conflict is terrifying,” he said.
There’s no such leadership void in Israel which Graham explained is acting on a script that’s been in play for years.
Shukr, a leading figure in Hezbollah’s military operations, had a $5 million bounty placed on his head by the U.S. for his role in the 1983 Beirut bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks. A total of 241 American service members died and 128 others were wounded.
“He was a known terrorist for decades,” Graham emphasized.
Haniyeh, who had been a big part of Hamas leadership since 2017, had been involved with ceasefire talks. If in fact it was Israel’s decision to terminate Haniyeh, it could be a symbolic statement for what the Israelis think about a ceasefire, according to Sen. Graham.
“You’ll never convince me he didn’t have anything to do with Oct. 7. He was taken out in Iran where he was paying homage to the new Iranian president who was being sworn in in their version of parliament,” the senator said. “During the swearing in they were chanting 'Death to Israel, Death to America.' I don’t know if Israel took him out, but something happened to him.
“Israel has a policy: We will hunt you down – no matter what you do, no matter how long it takes, we’re coming after you if you try to kill Israelis,” he added.
Graham: Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran are all the same
Graham says it’s time to stop playing Iran’s proxy game. “I’m tired of playing this charade. When Hezbollah attacks Israel, [when] Hamas attacks Israel, that’s Iran attacking Israel,” he stated. “I would urge the American government to get behind Israel as they defend themselves against Iran.”
And whether strikes are authorized from Israel or the U.S., Iranian oil fields should be among the first targets, he added.
