On Thursday, 14 House members voted against a resolution supporting Israel’s right to strike back at Iran for last weekend’s aerial attack – and, on Friday, it did just that.
In a show of restraint, Israel’s aerial retaliation was limited to Iran's Isfahan province, near one of Iran's nuclear facilities. The strike may have been a symbolic gesture by Israel, since it reportedly yielded no large-scale destruction or casualties.
Israel’s retaliation comes the day after the U.S. House overwhelming passed its resolution condemning last Saturday’s drone and missile attack by Iran.
According to the roll call, 404 members voted for the resolution and 13 did not vote.
The 14 who voted against the resolution include all nine Democrats reportedly belonging to the radical leftist cohort known as “The Squad”:
- Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)
- Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
- Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)
- Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY)
- Cori Bush (D-MO)
- Greg Casar (D-TX)
- Summer Lee (D-PA)
- Delia Ramirez (D-IL)
Four other House Democrats also voted against the pro-Israel resolution:
- Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)
- Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
- Hank Johnson (D-GA)
- Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the lone Republican who voted against the measure.
The resolution itself, however, was a bipartisan product, introduced by Reps. Tom Kean (R-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), both members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Those voting against the resolution largely cited fear that its passage would provoke further escalation of armed conflict, including Republican Massie, who said he’s opposed to “the next war.”
Indeed, the text of the resolution clearly expresses support for Israel’s military retaliation and self-defense efforts:
- “Fully supports Israel’s right to respond to this aggression through military, diplomatic, economic, and other necessary means.”
- “Stands with Israel as it defends itself against Iran’s attack and seeks to re-establish deterrence against Iran and its proxies.”
- “Reaffirms and supports Israel’s right to self-defense.”
- “Condemns Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel.”
A senior Iranian official has reportedly said that Iran has no immediate plans to retaliate against Israel for Friday's strike.