Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) emphasized on Friday that the United States must maintain an unwavering stance in support of Israel’s security following its military operation against Iran on Thursday. It “must be iron-clad,” he said.
Schumer refrained from condemning the Israeli offensive, in contrast to several high-ranking Democrats in the Senate who have already labeled the strike as dangerously provocative.
“I have long said that Israel has a right to defend itself and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Schumer said in a statement. “Ensuring they never obtain one must remain a top national security priority.”
The assault reportedly resulted in the deaths of several senior Iranian military officials, inflicted major damage to key nuclear infrastructure, and targeted top nuclear scientists in the country.
As the most senior Jewish figure in American elected office, Schumer’s stance carries considerable weight within both political and Jewish communities.
“The preferred path to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran and for supporting security and stability in the region has always been a strong, unrelenting diplomatic effort backed by meaningful leverage, and every effort must be made to move toward the path of a diplomatic solution,” he continued.
Senator Jack Reed (D-R.I.), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, took a much harsher view, criticizing Israel’s actions.
“Israel’s alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence,” Reed declared in a statement on Thursday.
Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), also a member of the Armed Services Committee, aligned herself with Schumer’s position, issuing a message of solidarity with the Jewish state. “Israel acted in self-defense against an attack from Iran, and the U.S. must continue to stand with Israel, as it has for decades, at this dangerous moment.”
The fallout from the Israeli offensive has exposed and widened ideological rifts within the Democratic Party, especially in the Senate, where members are increasingly split between unwavering allies of Israel and those more skeptical of its leadership and military strategy.

{Matzav.com}