Marco Rubio: Biden Telling Israel Not to Respond 'Encourages Iran'

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that President Joe Biden telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to respond to the attack “encourages Iran.”

Anchor Jake Tapper said, “We’re waiting to see how is your response to this attack. Iran is already warning that any Israeli retaliation will be met with a more severe response from Iran. You called this the most dangerous moment for the Middle East since 1973. What do you think Israel should do?”

Rubio said, “I’m not going to tell Israel what to do because I’m not the one that was attacked by 300 rockets and missiles and drones. I do know that Israel is very clear military doctrine, and that is that they respond to attacks by responding to those with something much more severe it is how they have survived. This is a country, a Jewish state that on its very hour of existence was attacked in multiple multiple directions by multiple countries and it has not stopped since then. They have faced constant existential threats to their existence on a repeated basis throughout their history. In fact jury is defined by that. So they have made the decision on their military doctrine that they respond to attacks on Israel disproportionately. It is the reason why we have not had another 1973 year 1967 situation.”

Rubio added, “What I don’t understand is why Joe Biden and the administration would leak to the media, the contents of a conversation which he tells Netanyahu he doesn’t think that Netanyahu should respond at all. It is the continuing part of the public game they are playing which frankly encourages Iran and Hezbollah, which we haven’t talked about and the Houthis and all these other elements there targeting Israel.”

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