Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Sunday expressed hope that a deal with Iran could be reached to end its nuclear program, but also noted that Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, remains committed to Israel’s destruction.
“While I hope and pray that a diplomatic solution to end the Iranian conflict and deny Iran the ability to produce a nuclear weapon and stop their reign of terror on the region may be at hand, we still must understand who we are dealing with," Graham wrote in a post on social media..
“Since the latest ceasefire, Hezbollah has been unrelenting in their attacks against Israel to the point there are areas in northern Israel that have been evacuated because of the constant attacks. What would America do in a similar situation?" he continued.
“Hezbollah is financed and controlled by Iran, with a lot of American blood on its hands. It is clear to me that no matter what deal we sign with Iran, Hezbollah’s stated ambitions of destroying Israel and making Lebanon a caliphate have not fundamentally changed," added Graham.
He concluded, “May God protect the United States and may God protect the State of Israel."
Graham’s post came before President Donald Trump officially announced a deal with Iran, which is scheduled to be formally signed on Friday.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump reacted to the Israeli retaliatory strike on a Hezbollah command center in Beirut, hinting that Israel should forgo its right to defend itself so that he could achieve a memorandum of understanding with Iran.
"This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
He added that "Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process."
The President also claimed that the deal with Iran would include Lebanon, stating, "We are very close to a deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down."
"There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace - Let’s not blow it!" he urged.
His comments came after the IDF conducted a precise strike on a Hezbollah command center in the Dahieh suburb of Beirut, following the infiltration of three unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Lebanon into Israeli airspace during the morning hours. Two drones exploded in the Shlomi area of the western Galilee, while a third later exploded in a military zone inside Israel.