WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — U.S. officials are debating how to respond to an airstrike that killed 12 children on a soccer field in an Israeli-controlled village this weekend.
On Monday, the U.S. State Department blamed Hezbollah for the strike, which is a proxy of Iran.
“We strongly condemn Lebanese Hezbollah’s rocket attack,” said State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel.
That’s raising fears among members of Congress of a broader regional war in the Middle East.
“Iran through its surrogates, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, is really the real evil in this area,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
On CBS Face the Nation, Schumer stressed the victims were not Israelis.
“These were Arab kids they shot at, they sent missiles at,” he said. “They don’t even care.”
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas.), said that could be why Hezbollah denies playing a role in the attack.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me why they would target those people,” McCaul said.
Israel has threatened a strong response to the strike, and lawmakers largely agree the U.S. ally has a right to defend itself.
“Until the Iranians believe that they’re gonna get hit, that we start putting their oil refineries on a target list, you’re going to get more of this,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
Graham wants the U.S. to respond, too, especially, he said, after the Senate got a report last week on Iran’s nuclear program.
“They could use these three or four months before our election to sprint to a nuclear weapon,” he said. “And we have to put them on notice that cannot happen.”
This all comes as ceasefire negotiations continue over the Israel-Hamas war. The State Department said a deal is still achievable, but McCaul is skeptical Iran would ever allow one.
“They want Hamas to stay in power,” he said. “Otherwise, they lose power.”
