Dem senator also tells Free Beacon he’d like the US to ‘join Israel to fully destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities’
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) is calling on Israel to show “no mercy” and take out Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Fetterman told the Washington Free Beacon Israel should use its successful campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon—which culminated with the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah—as a model for how to deal with Iran.
“Yes, just like Nasrallah,” Fetterman replied when asked whether the Jewish state should target Khamenei. “In fact, it should have been when Israel began to dismantle Iran.”
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Monday interview with ABC News refused to rule out a strike aimed at eliminating Khamenei. Fetterman, for his part, said he believes Israel should brush off criticism of a potential attack against the supreme leader.
“Israel has fully earned the right to do whatever to finish off Iran,” he said. “Consider what Israel has accomplished: crushed Hamas, same with Houthis, and neutered Hezbollah. Syria fell. All of the so-called experts were absolutely wrong. Iran turned out as the ultimate paper tiger and needs to be put away.”
Israeli journalist Amit Segal, quoting a senior Israeli official, reported Monday that the Jewish state’s military campaign has taken a toll on the Iranian supreme leader.
“Khamenei is in a difficult mental state,” he wrote. “Everyone who worked with him is dead and he is having a hard time with their replacements.”
Fetterman also told the Free Beacon that he would like the United States to join the military effort to ensure Iran cannot enrich uranium or build nuclear weapons, something President Donald Trump said is “possible” in an interview on Sunday.
“Iran must be held fully accountable,” Fetterman continued. “Furthermore, I’ve been very clear: We should join Israel to fully destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.”
The Pennsylvania senator compared reports that Iran wants an off-ramp to the 1986 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Raw Deal.
“Arnold is going after the Mob,” he said. “The Mob gets desperate and the leader screams, ‘Call the cops!’ That reminds me of Iran, begging for our help or other countries. Now Iran is yelling, ‘Call the f—ing cops!’”
Fetterman told the Free Beacon that Israel should show “no mercy” in its fight against the Islamic Republic.
“I think doing what’s necessary on Iran creates the ultimate opportunity for the regime to fall,” he said. “Break and humiliate that cancerous regime.”
