Democratic lawmakers criticize Netanyahu over Israel’s airstrikes on Iran

Democratic lawmakers are sounding off on the Israel-Iran conflict, criticizing Israel’s initial airstrikes Thursday night in the capital of Tehran.

Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion,” targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure, and Iran responded with strikes in Tel Aviv, injuring at least five people.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a statement Friday calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “extremist.”

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“The world is more dangerous and unstable as a result of the extremist Netanyahu’s government ongoing defiance of international law,” Sanders wrote. “First, he uses the starvation of children in Gaza as a tool of war, a barbaric violation of the Geneva Conventions. Now, his illegal unilateral attack on Iran risks a full-blown regional war.”

Sanders added the strikes “directly contravened” U.S. interests in resolving long-standing tensions over Iran’s nuclear program. 

“Talks were planned for Sunday, but Netanyahu chose instead to launch an attack,” Sanders wrote. “The U.S. must make it clear that we will not be dragged into another Netanyahu war. Along with the international community we should do everything possible to prevent an escalation of this conflict and bring the warring parties to the negotiating table.”

Senate Foreign Relations member Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., chimed in on social media Friday morning.

“Netanyahu wasn’t trying to help diplomacy; he was trying to destroy diplomacy,” Murphy wrote. “How do we know? They reportedly targeted and killed Iran’s chief negotiator with Trump.”

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Tim Kaine, D-Va., who also serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, added he could not understand why Israel would launch a preemptive strike when a meeting was scheduled between the U.S. and Iran this weekend.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said military aggression is “never the answer.”

“Israel’s alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence,” Reed wrote. “These strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces. While tensions between Israel and Iran are real and complex, military aggression of this scale is never the answer.”

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By Friday afternoon, some Democrats seemingly changed their tune in response to the counter-attack.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., slammed Iran’s response, calling it “cowardice.”

“#Israel’s strike on #Iran was targeted precisely at senior Iranian military commanders and military sites that posed an existential threat to Israel,” Sherman wrote. “The Islamic Republic’s response? To target civilian centers in #TelAviv. Unsurprising cowardice from a regime that has spent decades brutalizing its own people.”

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Others evaded the conversation all together.

“This is a rapidly evolving situation, and it’s critical that the United States works with our allies and avoid steps that will cause further escalation across the region,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., wrote in a statement. “For years, Iran has threatened the safety of Israel and the region, and Israel has an undeniable right to defend itself and its citizens.”