On Monday’s “CNN Newsroom,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), who will be a U.S. Representative at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly, stated that the reaction to Hezbollah targeting Israeli civilians “starts with trying to get this off-ramp in Gaza, but we recognize Israel has a right to defend itself.” And they hope for more pressure on Iran.
Host Jim Acosta asked, “What’s your reaction to what we’re seeing in Lebanon this morning?”
Cardin answered, “We recognize that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, they have sent missiles into Israel targeting civilian populations. Hezbollah, like Hamas, [is] enabled by Iran. Our objective in trying to de-escalate the conflict is to move forward with an opportunity for a ceasefire and return of the hostages from Gaza, and then to have the regional security arrangement so that the Palestinians and Israelis can live together in peace. So, it starts with trying to get this off-ramp in Gaza, but we recognize Israel has a right to defend itself.”
Acosta then asked how much focus there will be on trying to get Israel to restrain its strikes against Hezbollah.
Cardin responded, “Well, we hope to also have a focus in the United Nations on Iran, which is enabling these terrorist organizations. It would be nice for the United Nations to spend some time recognizing that Iran has enabled the terrorist activities by Hezbollah, by Hamas, by the Houthis. There are so many organizations operating because of Iran, really, we’d like to see more of a focus on Iran.”
Cardin added, “We expect Israel will defend itself, but an escalation of the conflict is not in Israel’s interests, not in the United States’ interests. We want to see a de-escalation of the conflict, and we want to see the countries in the region come together and isolate Iran so that the Israelis and Palestinians can live with security in the region, respecting each other’s rights. That’s our objective, that’s what we’re going to work on, and that message will be delivered here at the United Nations by this Senator.”
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