Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday pitched a fiery strategy for securing the release of Israeli hostages: threaten to bomb Iran.
Well known for his hawkish foreign policy, Graham (R-SC) implied during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Tehran has the influence needed to entice Hamas into releasing the hostages.
“If I were the state of Israel, I would tell the ayatollah if these people do not come home alive — the ones that are left alive — and if we don’t get the bodies of the fallen, we’re going to blow up your oil refineries,” he said.
“That’s the only way you’re going to get the hostages released — is to put pressure on Iran.”
Roughly 250 people were abducted during Hamas’ bloody Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel that sparked war in the Gaza Strip.
More than 100 of the hostages were released in November during a brief cease-fire. Dozens of the remaining victims are believed to be dead, though it’s unclear precisely how many. There are eight American-Israeli hostages.
Negotiators have long sought to iron out a deal for a more permanent cease-fire that would see the release of the remaining hostages, but that has proven to be elusive despite top US officials conveying confidence that a breakthrough is on the horizon.
Further complicating matters is the overnight attacks between the Israeli Defense Force and the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
Israel claims to have launched a preemptive strike against Hezbollah ahead of what it alleged was an imminent attack. Hezbollah fired back Sunday.
Hezbollah said it was retaliating for the assassination of one of its senior commanders, Fuad Shukr, last month. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh also was killed at the time in Tehran, around the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
Fears about tensions between Iran and Israel also spiraling out of control into a broader regional war have been heightened since the slayings.
Israel claimed responsibility for Shukr’s death but has not confirmed or denied involvement in Haniyeh’s assassination. Nearly a month later, there have been no apparent obvious signs of retaliation from the Islamic Republic over Haniyeh.
In April, Iran launched strikes on Israel in response to a bombing in Damascus that killed two Iranian generals.
Graham has long called for a tougher US stance against Iran, which allegedly helps finance and supply terrorist organizations including the Hamas Palestinian group and Hezbollah.
“We’ve got to remember that the October 7 attack was generated in my view to stop normalization between Saudi Arabi and Israel. It’s a nightmare for Iran and her proxies for the Arabs and Israelis to reconcile,” Graham stressed.
AP
Graham also reiterated his entreaty to former President Donald Trump to focus his reelection campaign on policy.
“Americans are not joyful when they go to the gas station to fill up their car. They’re not joyful when they make their mortgage payment. They’re not joyful when they go to the grocery store. People are hurting, and this whole joy, lovefest, doesn’t exist in the real world,” he said.
That was a reference to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, in which top party officials cast themselves as “joyful warriors” and boasted about an optimistic message.
Trump had previously shrugged off Graham’s plea for him to focus more on policy, saying, “I like Lindsey; I don’t care what he says” and added that Graham could not have won re-election if not for his endorsement.
