Republicans respond to Israel's strikes on Iran: ‘Game on'
Republican lawmakers welcomed Israel's overnight attack against Iran and asked the public to pray for the Jewish State, which waged strikes against Tehran's expanding nuclear program and military leadership.
'Game on. Pray for Israel,' Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a defense hawk, wrote Thursday night on the social media platform X.
Similar messages were posted by other GOP members of Congress since Israel unleashed an attack that, so far, has killed Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami, along with two other top Iranian generals.
Speaker Mike Johnson echoed President Trump's consistent warning that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon in his response, commending the administration for working 'tirelessly to ensure that outcome.'
'Unfortunately, Iran has refused to agree and even declared yesterday its intent to build a new enrichment facility,' Johnson posted to X on Friday.
'Israel decided it needed to take action to defend itself,' he added. 'They were clearly within their right to do so. Iran will face grave consequences if it responds by unjustifiably targeting U.S. interests.'
Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also showed his support for Israel late Thursday, following the strikes.
'We stand with Israel tonight and pray for the safety of its people and the success of this unilateral, defensive action. I am also praying for the brave U.S. service members in the Middle East who keep America safe — Iran would be foolish to attack the United States,' he posted on X.
Israel performed at least five rounds of strikes against Iran, hitting dozens of targets, including the Natanz, one of Iran's main enrichment facilities. Israel said the attack was unleashed to help prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message that the operation, dubbed 'Rising Lion,' would last 'as many days as it takes.'
'We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear weaponization program. We targeted Iran's main enrichment facility in Natanz,' the prime minster said in his address, shared to X. 'We targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile program.'
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Commitee, said that Israel's 'reckless escalation' threatens to ignite violence in the region and could jeopardize the safety of Americans stationed in the Middle East.
'While tensions between Israel and Iran are real and complex, military aggression of this scale is never the answer,' Reed said late Thursday in a statement.
'I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control,' the Democratic senator added. 'President Trump must be crystal clear with the American people and the international community in charting a way forward. The world cannot afford more devastating conflict born of short-sighted violence.'
Iran retaliated, launching over 100 drones, some of whom are intercepted by the Israeli military, according to officials.
Trump warned Iran Friday morning to accept a nuclear deal with the U.S. or it would face harsh consequences.
'I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it,' the president wrote on Truth Social.
He added in a subsequent post, 'Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!'
Iran, amid the tension, announced Friday that they were pulling out of the next round of nuclear talks that were expected Sunday in Oman.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
7 minutes ago
- New York Post
Pizza shop tracker showed spike in activity near Pentagon before Israel's strikes
An X account created to track the busyness of pizza shops could have predicted a major international event. The Pentagon Pizza Report tracks the real-time foot traffic at pizza spots near the Pentagon, hinting at officials working late at the government building, which may suggest potential conflict. Hours before Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion,' the account posted the activity of four pizza shops, captioning the post, 'Most pizza establishments near the Pentagon are currently experiencing average traffic as of about 3:05pm ET.' The strikes took place late Thursday evening as the Pentagon Pizza Report monitored pizza shops in the Arlington, Virginia, area. The account continued posting updates about the closest and second-closest Domino's to the Pentagon leading up to and following the airstrikes. A post at 8:57 p.m. reported that the location had 'surged in traffic.' 'With about an hour left before close, the 2nd closest Dominos to the Pentagon (about 8 min drive) is experiencing EXTREMELY high levels of traffic compared to a normal Thursday at about 11:00pm ET,' the account said in another post. 5 The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on March 21, 2025. REUTERS 5 The Domino's Pizza near the Pentagon was busier than usual at 11 p.m. on June 12, 2025. Pentagon Pizza Report/X The account also tracked Freddie's Beach Bar and District Pizza Palace in the area. 'With 30 min to close, this Dominos continues to experience extremely high traffic. Freddie's Beach Bar, however, has jumped back up to average levels of activity,' the account posted at 11:30 p.m. Social media users took to the comments to discuss the findings of the account. 'It's going to be an all-nighter, eh,' said an X user. Another person added, 'They should really open a secret Dominos inside the building.' 5 Israel's Iron Dome launches air defense projectiles at Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv on June 14, 2025. AP 'I feel like this really is telling us that there's a panic at these places,' commented one individual. Another person posted, 'Pizza tracker is never wrong.' 'Open-source tracking of pizza spot activity around the Pentagon (and other places),' the X account's official description reads. 'Frequent-ish updates on where the lines are long.' 5 The closest Domino's Pizza to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Google Maps 5 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth answers a question during a Pentagon budget hearing on Capitol Hill on June 12, 2025. AP The Pentagon Pizza Report has over 50,000 followers with posts garnering nearly millions of views. A Friday afternoon post focusing on pizza joints near the White House updated followers that the closest Domino's is 'experiencing another LARGE surge in activity today as of around 4:10pm ET.'
San Francisco Chronicle
15 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Latest: Iran launches retaliatory strikes on Israel, killing at least 3 people
Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes on Israel into Saturday morning, killing at least three people and wounding dozens, after a series of blistering Israeli attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear program and its armed forces. Israel's assault used warplanes, as well as drones smuggled into the country in advance, to assault key facilities and kill top generals and scientists. Iran's U.N. ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in the attacks. Israel said the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building an atomic weapon, although experts and the U.S. government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon before the strikes. It also threw talks between the United States and Iran over an atomic accord into disarray days before the two sides were set to meet Sunday. ___ Iran's Foreign Ministry calls nuclear talks with US 'meaningless' after Israeli strikes Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman on Saturday called further nuclear talks with the United States 'meaningless' after Israeli strikes on the country, state television said. 'The U.S. did a job that made the talks become meaningless,' Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel has passed all Iran's red lines by committing a 'criminal act' through its strikes. However, he stopped short of saying the talks were cancelled. The Mizan news agency, which is run by Iran's judiciary, quoted him as saying: 'It is still not clear what we decide about Sunday talks.' Jordan will reopen its airspace to civilian aircraft Jordan will reopen its airspace to civilian aircraft on Saturday morning, its state-run media reported, signaling the Mideast kingdom believes there is no immediate danger of further attacks. Jordan's airspace had seen Iranian drones and missiles cross through it, with Israeli fighter jets likely engaging targets there. The crossfire between Israel and Iran disrupted East-West travel through the Mideast, a key global aviation route. Woman dies in missile strike in Tel Aviv, hospital says A spokesperson for Beilinson Hospital in Tel Aviv said a woman was killed in an Iranian missile strike, bringing the total number of fatalities in the barrages from Iran to three. The hospital also treated seven people who were wounded in the strike early Saturday. Israel's Fire and Rescue Services said a projectile hit a building in the city. Israel's paramedic service says 2 people killed when missile hit central Israel Israel's paramedic service Magen David Adom says an Iranian missile struck near homes in central Israel early Saturday morning, killing two people and injuring 19 others. Israel's Fire and Rescue service said four homes were severely damaged. UN chief calls for escalation to stop, saying 'peace and diplomacy must prevail' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel and Iran to halt their attacks on one another, while calling for diplomacy. 'Israeli bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian missile strikes in Tel Aviv. Enough escalation. Time to stop. Peace and diplomacy must prevail,' Guterres wrote on X on Saturday. Iranian media reports a fire at Tehran's airport Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency is reporting a fire at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, posting a video on X of a column of smoke and orange flames rising from what the outlet said was the airport. A handful of minor injuries reported from second wave of Iranian missiles Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv said it has treated seven people hurt by the second Iranian barrage; six had light injuries and the seventh was moderately wounded. Iran fires a second wave of missiles at Israel Sirens and the boom of explosions, possibly from Israeli interceptors, could be heard in the sky over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv early Saturday. AP journalists in Tel Aviv could see what appeared to be at least two Iranian missiles hit the ground, but there was no immediate word of casualties. The Israeli military said another long-range Iranian missile attack was taking place and urged civilians, already rattled by the first wave of projectiles, to head to shelter. Around three dozen people were wounded by that first wave. The Iranian outlet Nour News, which has close links with the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said a fresh wave was being launched. Iranian air defenses are firing against Israeli attacks The sound of explosions and Iranian air defense systems firing at targets was echoing across the center of the capital, Tehran, shortly after midnight on Saturday.
21 minutes ago
2 women marry in Mexico's embassy in Guatemala fueling a debate over same-sex marriage
GUATEMALA CITY -- Two Mexican women were married inside the grounds of Mexico's embassy in Guatemala on Friday, sparking anger in a nation that doesn't recognize same-sex marriage and debate over diplomatic sovereignty. The ceremony held in the embassy gardens was intended to celebrate Pride Month, which is celebrated every June, and the consulate said the marriage marked a step toward inclusion, respect and equality for all. "We celebrate love without borders," wrote the embassy in a post on the social media platform X. 'This is the first civil wedding of a same-sex couple at the Embassy of Mexico in Guatemala. It's a right granted to all individuals when both are Mexican citizens.' Shortly after, the ceremony sparked an outcry among conservative politicians in Guatemala, a largely Catholic country and one of a handful in Latin America that still doesn't recognize same-sex marriages. While such marriages aren't explicitly prohibited, Guatemalan law only refers to unions between a man and a woman. Allan Rodríguez, the head of the VAMOS party bloc and ally of former president Alejandro Giammattei, was among those to reject the wedding, writing in a statement that 'although the act may be protected under external jurisdictions, it clearly contradicts Guatemala's current legal framework.' According to the congressman, the properties where embassies are located 'are not foreign territory; they merely enjoy diplomatic privileges" and therefore are not a part of the Mexican state. He claimed considering them as such would "violate constitutional principles of sovereignty, territorial unity, and the rule of law.' Rodríguez, a former president of Congress, is sanctioned by the United States for obstructing anti-corruption efforts and undermining democracy in Guatemala. The office of progressive President Bernardo Arévalo said that under international law embassies like Mexico's "have territorial immunity and operate under the jurisdiction of the state they represent.' 'In this case, it is an activity carried out by the Mexican Consulate in Guatemala and aimed at Mexican citizens. Therefore, it is exclusively the responsibility of the Government of Mexico, through its diplomatic representation, to comment or speak on the matter," the embassy statement said. Still, debate only continued on, with Elmer Palencia, a congressman for the VALOR party, created by the daughter of a former dictator, called the marriage, 'not an act of inclusion, but a provocation.' "Out of respect for the host country, Mexico should refrain from that narrative. Guatemalan sovereignty and social institutions deserve that respect,' he said. Constitutional lawyer Edgar Ortíz contradicted the conservative politicians, saying the marriage doesn't violate Guatemala's sovereignty and complies with the Vienna Convention, which establishes that what happens on diplomatic premises 'are not subject to the host state's jurisdiction.' He noted that Guatemala's constitution establishes that the country will govern following international principles. 'In no way are Guatemala's laws being altered; the effects of this marriage will occur in Mexico, which does recognize same-sex marriage,' he said. 'Rather," he added, 'it is the Guatemalan lawmakers who are violating sovereignty, by interfering in Mexico's affairs and trying to tell them what they can or cannot do. That seems far more discourteous.'
