U.S. ‘should proudly join’ Israel if they go after Iran’s nuclear program

Former national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday called on the United States to join Israel if they choose to go after Iran’s nuclear program in response to Tehran’s attack.

Speaking on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday,” Bolton criticized Iran’s failed missile and drone strikes over the weekend, arguing Israel’s interception of the attack makes the regime “look weak.”

“[Iran] looks like fools today. They launched… the last number I heard was 320… it’s up to 400. Whatever it is, 300 plus drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles and maybe three or four got thorough. So, who’s the fool in this posture right now?” Who looks weak? The regime in Iran looks weak,” Bolton said in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”

“And a way to pin that down is for Israel to go after Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which I think it can destroy or disable a very substantial part, if not totally,” he continued.

Israel’s plans for retaliation against Iran’s weekend attack remain unclear, although White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Sunday it is “going to be up to” the Israelis to decide how it will move forward. 

Bolton argued joining Israel should they target Iran’s nuclear weapons is “in America’s interest.”

“I think Israel needs to put a stop to it. And that’s not just in Israel’s interest, it’s in America’s interest,” Bolton said. “Iran is a nuclear proliferator, is a threat to us. Just like North Korea is. Frankly, if Israel is prepared to go after Iran’s nuclear program, the United States should proudly join them.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Israel in retaliation for an alleged Israeli strike that hit the Iranian embassy in Syria. Two senior IRGC officers died in the strike.

The majority of these missiles and drones were successfully intercepted later Saturday by Israel and their allied forces, including the U.S., the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed. 

President Biden later spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemning the attacks “in the strongest possible terms.” 

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