Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Thursday said he fully supported Israel’s attack on Iran and said it should “keep wiping out Iranian leadership” and its nuclear personnel.
“Our commitment to Israel must be absolute and I fully support this attack,” Fetterman wrote in a post on X late Thursday. “Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry—to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”
Fetterman has been a firm and vocal advocate for Israel, at times criticizing members of his own party on the topic. The issue came to the forefront after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, which led to the Gaza war.
Israel launched a major attack on Iran early Friday, hitting nuclear and missile sites in that country amid fears about Tehran’s advancing nuclear program. Israel has feared Iran gaining the capability to launch nuclear-armed ballistic missiles, and has vowed to not let that happen. Iran is now warning of a major retaliation.
The attack also killed three of Iran’s top military leaders, including Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, who oversaw the entire armed forces; Gen. Hossein Salami, who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard; and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who ran the Guard’s ballistic missile program.
The attack went forward without U.S. support, though President Trump said he was aware an assault by Israel was coming. Talks on Iran’s nuclear program had been planned for this weekend.
On Friday, Trump called on Iran to come back to the negotiating table after the attack.
“There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was told the strikes were necessary for “self-defense,” but was not involved in the operation. Rubio warned Iran against targeting U.S. interests or personnel in retaliation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
