Walz and Vance expressed support for Israel but criticized the other side for the tension permeating throughout the Middle East.
Tuesday’s vice presidential debate came just hours after Iran carried out a significant aerial attack on Israel, firing about 200 ballistic missiles from Iranian soil toward Israel. Israel’s air defenses were able to intercept most of the missiles with the help of the U.S. military, and Israel’s leaders have vowed to retaliate.
Walz did not directly answer the first question asked of him by the moderators, which was whether each candidate would support an Israeli preemptive strike on Iran, while Vance countered that he would defer to Israel for how it would respond.
“It is up to Israel what they think they need to do to keep their country safe, and we should support our allies wherever they are when fighting the bad guys,” the Ohio senator said.
Read more of our debate coverage here.
