Israel’s overnight missile strike against Iran divided Congress, drawing praise and strong support from members of both parties, but some lawmakers, most of them Democrats, expressed concern about regional instability and the risk the United States might be drawn directly into the conflict.
Many members of Congress were quick to cheer Israel’s actions and framed them as a justified response to Tehran’s refusal to abandon its ambition to obtain nuclear weapons. Others, including several leading Democrats, urged restraint, warning about the potential for escalation.
The divergent reactions reflected a political divide over President Trump’s leadership, the use of military force, the role of diplomacy and America’s obligations in the Middle East.
Some Republicans in Congress applauded the operation even before President Trump praised it.
“Game on,” declared Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and one of the most vocal Iran hawks on Capitol Hill, moments after the news broke. In a later statement, Mr. Graham said: “Hats off to Israel for one of the most impressive military strikes and covert operations in Israeli history.”
The House speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, also offered unequivocal support for the strikes, saying in a social media post late Thursday that “Israel IS right — and has a right — to defend itself!”
After Mr. Trump weighed in Friday morning, saying that Iran had brought the attacks on itself, Mr. Johnson applauded the administration’s decision to back Israel’s security goals and echoed the president’s position that Iran “must never obtain a nuclear weapon.”
Mr. Johnson, who recently announced a trip to Israel later this month to address a special session of the Knesset, displayed the same frustration that many on Capitol Hill have expressed in recent weeks over Tehran’s refusal to shelve its nuclear ambitions.
“President Trump and his administration have worked tirelessly to ensure that outcome. Unfortunately, Iran has refused to agree and even declared yesterday its intent to build a new enrichment facility,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Senator James E. Risch, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, had a similar message, saying, “We stand with Israel tonight and pray for the safety of its people and the success of this unilateral, defensive action.”
Neither of the top two Democrats in Congress, Representative Hakeem Jeffries or Senator Chuck Schumer, both of New York, issued a statement on the strikes, though Mr. Jeffries called for de-escalation in an television interview.
“I’m hopeful that cooler heads will prevail in the Middle East and the situation is de-escalated,” Mr. Jeffries said on MSNBC on Thursday night. “We certainly believe that Iran should never be allowed to become nuclear-capable — they are an enemy not just to Israel, but to the United States and to the free world — but we also want to see a reduction in hostilities.”
Among Democrats, no lawmaker has been more vocally supportive of Israel than Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has carved out a distinct role as the party’s most unapologetic defender of the U.S.-Israel alliance.
In the hours after the strike, Mr. Fetterman posted on social media: “Our commitment to Israel must be absolute and I fully support this attack. 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.”
And several strongly pro-Israel Democrats in the House praised the strikes. Representative Greg Landsman of Ohio swiftly issued a statement proclaiming: “Israel is justifiably defending itself and its people.”
But other Democrats called for de-escalation or expressed concern that Israel’s military action could lead to broader regional instability.
“Israel’s strikes against Iran represent an escalation that is deeply concerning and will inevitably invite counterattacks,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee. “This risks not only U.S. negotiations with Iran, but the safety of American service members, diplomats, their families and expats around the region.”
Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat of the Armed Services Committee, echoed those concerns.
“I urge both nations to show immediate restraint, and I call on President Trump and our international partners to press for diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control,” he said. “The world cannot afford more devastating conflict born of shortsighted violence.”
Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, said in a statement a war between Israel and Iran “may be good for Netanyahu’s domestic politics, but it will likely be disastrous for both the security of Israel, the United States, and the rest of the region.” He added that the United States has “ no obligation to follow Israel into a war we did not ask for and will make us less safe.”
At least one right-wing Republican voiced the same the sentiment. “I’m sad to say but some members of Congress and US Senators seem giddy about the prospects of a bigger war,” Representative Warren Davidson, Republican of Ohio, wrote on social media.
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