Tehran must be put on notice that any major attack by Hezbollah against the Jewish state would be considered as if Iran had acted against Israel, US Senator Lindsey Graham told The Jerusalem Post.
If the US doesn’t stand with Israel in its battle against the Iranian proxy group Hezbollah, then “Iran will see this as yet another example of weakness and timidity, and they [it] will break out to a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Graham spoke after meeting in Washington on Sunday with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who held a high-level meeting with US officials just one week after the IDF approved operational plans for a military campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The IDF and Hezbollah have engaged in cross-border violence since the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on October 7, and the international community is working to avoid a Third Lebanon War now that the IDF military campaign in Gaza is winding down.
Graham told the Post that he plans to submit a congressional resolution next week, holding Iran responsible if Hezbollah launches an all-out attack against Israel. It is feared that if Hezbollah did so, the Iron Dome system in the North would not be able to thwart all the missile launches.
“I will be introducing a resolution when I get back to the Senate next week...basically saying that a major attack against Israel launched by Hezbollah that could overwhelm Iron Dome or destroy the State of Israel would be considered an attack by Iran against Israel.
“I think it’s very important that we’re crystal clear to the world that if Hezbollah escalates and goes against Israel, the target [for retaliation] will not just be Beirut; it will be Tehran. I am telling my Senate colleagues that they should be thinking that way,” Graham said.
Stopping Hamas will stop Hezbollah
The senator is among the advocates for a military defeat of Hamas, noting that it was the best way to deter Hezbollah.
“Crushing Hamas with US support sends a strong signal to Iran as well as Hezbollah,” he stated.
Graham said he was particularly concerned that Iran would take advantage of the military chaos in the region “to sprint to the bomb,” stressing that “Israel can’t let that happen.”
He said he would also push for Congress to receive a delayed report from the US director of national intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program, as well as clarification regarding the delay in arms shipments to Israel.