Sen. Rand Paul said at Thursday night’s GOP debate that taking out Syrian President Bashar Assad would lead to a spread of the Islamic State.
“If you defeat Assad … you may well see an ISIS that takes over all of Syria,” Paul said.
While the administration has said that a transition of power is ultimately needed to bring peace to Syria, it has also said that American’s current fight in Syria is solely against the Islamic State.
Paul said that overthrowing Assad could create a power vacuum that leaves room for terrorists to rise to power.
Some members of Paul’s own party, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., have advocated for the U.S. to take out Assad, who has committed human rights violations against Syrians.
