Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said it will be Iran’s “decision to make” whether the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah retaliates after its top leader was killed by Israel.
“I think Iran is constantly looking to hurt Israel, and they seem to be willing to fight to the last Hezbollah member or the last Shia militia member,” Rubio told MSNBC’s Kristen Welker Sunday on “Meet the Press.” “Ultimately, that will be Iran’s decision to make.”
Rubio’s comments come as tensions in the Middle East heighten. Israeli strikes over the weekend killed several top Hezbollah leaders, including its chief Hassan Nasrallah.
His death and the destruction of the group’s leadership means retaliation from Hezbollah is likely, and fears of an all-out war in the region continue.
The Florida senator said Iran’s goal is to dominate the region and there would be a greater threat of a larger conflict if Nasrallah were still alive.
“They seek to drive America out of the region and then destroy Israel,” he said. “And so, anytime the Iranian regime is on defense, it’s good for the world, good for America and good for Israel.”
“It will be up to the Iranians to decide what they’re going to do but I will tell you that I believe that they will find themselves in a very precarious situation, if in fact, they do escalate this on their part,” Rubio continued.
