The United States should hold Iran, not only Hezbollah, responsible for any massive missile attack on Israel from southern Lebanon, Senator Lindsey Graham said after his meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jerusalem Post reported.
According to the senator, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been a failure in preventing terrorism from southern Lebanon. He added that the missile buildup in that area has become a nightmare for Jerusalem. Graham emphasized that he would like to see an American policy that mandates that “if there is an attack from Lebanon against Israel – a large scale attack generated by Hezbollah forces that are basically proxies of the Iranians – we would hold Iran responsible, not just Hezbollah.”
Graham also compared any future missile attack from Lebanese territory to President John Kennedy’s policy during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, when he warned that any attack on the United States from Cuba would be considered an attack by the Soviet Union.
“That is the way I think we should approach Iran. Iran needs to pay a heavier price – they are encircling our Arab allies and the State of Israel,” said Graham, adding that even though Israel is not perfect, it is still a damned good ally.
The senator said that he would urge the American Congress to allocate more funds for Israel’s missile defense.
“It is time for the American Congress to give more to Israel in terms of missile defense, not less, because protecting Israel is protecting our own interests. No country provides better military intelligence to the U.S. than Israel,” Graham stated.
He did not mention Netanyahu’s current legal woes but did allude to them. Graham said that he found the prime minister to be very engaged and someone who has not taken his eye off the ball when it comes to the security threats facing Israel.
Graham visited Israel together with six other senators. After the meeting, the prime minister’s office stated that he thanked the Senators and Representatives for the American support for Israel and welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. According to Netanyahu, bilateral relations are now closer than ever.
The U.S. delegation previously visited Jordan. Graham said that the delegation’s number one message to Netanyahu was to help Jordan.