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As one of Israel’s staunchest defenders from the left, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., full-throatedly endorsed President Donald Trump’s attacks on Iran as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle reacted Saturday morning.
“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” Fetterman wrote on X. “God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of Congress’ biggest backers of bold military action, is hailing President Donald Trump as a “man of peace,” and “evil’s worst nightmare.”
“As I watch and monitor this historic operation, I’m in awe of President Trump’s determination to be a man of peace but at the end of the day, evil’s worst nightmare,” Graham wrote Saturday morning on X in a string of posts. “Well done, Mr. President.”
Trump’s U.S. military armada in the Middle East, working in concert with Israel, is targeting military targets and ballistic missile sites that pose an “imminent threat,” a U.S. official told Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin.
The U.S. military is not targeting Iran’s leadership, but Israel is, the official added.
Strikes hit the compound home of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, in downtown Tehran on Saturday morning.
And Trump issued a video statement on social media, urging Iranian people to get out of the way for now, but “when we are finished, take over your government; It will be yours to take.”
“God bless @POTUS for planning and now executing Operation Epic Fury, making America more safe and eventually more prosperous,” Graham added. “I seek God’s protection for all under President Trump’s command, as well as our allies in Israel.
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“My mind is racing with the thought that the murderous ayatollah’s regime in Iran will soon be no more.
While reports of explosions happened hours earlier, Graham posted his first support for the actions after 3 a.m. ET, calling the “operation is necessary and long justified.”
“The biggest change in the Middle East in a thousand years is upon us,” Graham added in his second post on X. “The likelihood of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel getting back on track is exceedingly high – a subject I brought up last week to the key players in the region who concurred if the ayatollah goes down, historic peace advances.”
As the attacks were under way and battle damage assessments were yet to come, Graham delivered his prayers to the troops undertaking the operation.
“As to the men and women participating in this operation for our country and Israel, may God bless you and keep you safe,” he wrote. “If you are injured or fall, I believe with all my heart that your sacrifice makes your country and the world a better and safer place. This moment is why you chose to serve.
“This operation has been well-planned. It will be violent, extensive and I believe, at the end of the day, successful. Again the demise of the ayatollah’s regime with American blood on its hands is necessary and more than justified.”
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The U.S. has authorized non-essential embassy personnel to leave Israel amid escalating tensions with Iran. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Iranian Leader Press Office/Anadolu via Getty Images)
And, one of Trump’s long-time Republican critics, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., also posted on X, noting Trump has not sought congressional approval – although there was a briefing held with the Gang of Eight earlier this week.
“Acts of war unauthorized by Congress,” Massie wrote on X.
Senate Armed Forces Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., praised the “decisive action” against “the world’s leading proliferator of terrorism.”
“This is a pivotal and necessary operation to protect Americans and American interests,” Wicker wrote in a statement. “The president has stated the operation’s goals clearly: thwart permanently the ayatollahs’ desire to create a nuclear weapon, degrade their ballistic missile force and their production capacity, and destroy their naval and terrorism capabilities.
“These are the hardest decisions that face any American commander-in-chief, and I appreciate that President Trump and his team conducted a comprehensive strategy using all tools of national power and a well-orchestrated military planning process.”
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The time to strike was now, according to Wicker.
“The Iranian regime has never been weaker,” he added. “Without the use of military force against them, Iran’s ayatollahs would simply continue to grow their ability to threaten Americans and our interests, working in concert with the Chinese Communist Party, the Russian dictator Putin, North Korea, and other terrorist allies.
“The ayatollahs have mortgaged the economic future of ordinary Iranians to engage in their obsessive and apocalyptic vision.
Most importantly, I commend the brave men and women of our armed forces, who continue to demonstrate a level of operational proficiency unrivaled the world over. That fact will be evident in the coming days. Thanks to them, Americans are safer – not just today, but for generations to come.”
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