Israel Responds To Hamas Attack As Conflict Escalates With Iran And Hezbollah

Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping hundreds, many of whom have since been murdered.

In response, Israel has launched a massive counterattack, reportedly killing more than 41,000 people. The conflict now seems on the verge of expanding into a larger regional war.

The Biden administration’s support for Israel has been criticized by some Republicans, who argue it falls short of what is needed.

Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin pointed to Iran’s direct involvement with terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, highlighting last week’s missile attack as further evidence.

“I’ve always said that Iran was the head of the snake,” Mullin said. “Hezbollah doesn’t exist. Hamas doesn’t exist. The Houthis don’t exist without the funding of Iran.”

Israeli leaders have promised to make Iran pay for its involvement. Possible responses could include strikes on Iranian military targets, economic targets such as oil fields, or facilities linked to Iran's nuclear program, which both the Biden administration and Mullin believe has progressed to a dangerous point.

Mullin stated that Iran could potentially produce enough weapons-grade material for a nuclear weapon within two weeks.

“We’ve been tracking this for a while,” Mullin said. “I will say that, privately, even the Biden administration—publicly, I'm all in for it—that Israel takes that out.”

Publicly, the Biden administration has urged Israel to avoid escalating the conflict further, particularly regarding strikes on nuclear facilities or oil fields.

President Biden has said, “The Israelis have every right to respond to the vicious attacks on them... but the fact is that they have to be very much more careful about dealing with civilian casualties.”

Despite the Biden administration's stance, many in Oklahoma’s congressional delegation believe U.S. support for Israel should be stronger. Representative Kevin Hern said, “Now more than ever, the U.S. must stand with Israel and demonstrate unwavering resolve against those who seek chaos, death, and destruction.”

Mullin acknowledged the complexity of the situation and announced plans to visit Israel personally on Oct. 20 to assess the situation.