McCain: Middle East is now ‘more dangerous’ than ever before

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday said the latest of round of Israeli-Palestinian violence shows the region has become increasingly dangerous.

Given the latest conditions on the ground, the Middle East today is “more dangerous than any time in the past,” McCain said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Israeli military forces appear poised to launch a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip, following five days of rocket attacks against suspected Hamas targets in the area. More than 130 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks and nearly 1,000 more have been wounded.

Israeli Defense Forces have told residents to evacuate the area “for their own safety,” another signal the campaign is set to enter a new phase.

McCain chalked up the deteriorating situation to a number of factors, including the absence of traditional power brokers like Egypt and Qatar who have helped cool tensions in the past.

He also blamed the President Obama’s foreign policy, saying U.S. influence around the globe “has never been less than it is today.”

McCain said there is “no moral equivalency” over Israel’s actions and that government forces have shown “restraint” in wake of shelling from Gaza.

He credited the Iron Dome missile defense system, which the U.S. helps fund, for saving Israeli lives.

“It’s not because Hamas hasn’t tried,” McCain said, adding the terrorist groups suffers more from a “lack of capabilities than intent.”