Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called for “severe consequences” against the Iranian regime Wednesday after the Israeli government blamed Iran for a rocket attack that originated in Syria.
Rubio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement condemning Iran after it was reported that 20 rockets were sent at Israeli front-line military positions in the Golan Heights from Syria. After the israeli military pinned the blame on Iran, Rubio expressed his unwavering support for Israel’s “right to defend her people.”
“As the Iranian regime once again uses Syrian territory to attack Israel, America stands with Israel, our ally and fellow democracy, and strongly supports the Jewish state’s right to defend her people,” he said.
While the attack, which occurred early Thursday morning local time, did not cause any injuries, the Republican senator called on his fellow lawmakers to take action on the regime if do inflict any bodily harm.
“The United States should hold the Iranian regime fully accountable and impose severe consequences if Iran’s forces or proxies harm the citizens of our nation or our allies in the Middle East,” he wrote.
Israeli officials released a statement following the attack vowing that the event is “not over” and they are taking the attack “very severely.” The Israeli military later launched a retaliatory attack, striking what it said were Iranian and Syrian regime targets in Syria.
The attack occurred after President Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. was withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, a move that was supported by Israel. The Obama-era agreement sought to put Iran’s nuclear program on ice in exchange for international sanctions relief.
Afterwards, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the U.S. of “foul play.”
