Senator Richard Blumenthal is urging his colleagues in Congress to pass a supplemental bill that would provide military aid to Israel and Ukraine, as well as humanitarian aid to Gaza.
His push comes in light of Iran’s attacks on Israel over the weekend.
“I’m deeply concerned about the potential for escalation,” he said before his trip back to D.C. “Iran is a security threat to the United States and the world.”
Over the weekend, Iran attacked Israel, launching over 300 missiles and drones. This attack comes in retaliation to Israel’s attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus two weeks ago.
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The U.S. and Israeli militaries shot down the majority of the missiles.
“I think it’s frightening what’s happening in the Middle East,” Dee of West Hartford said. “I wish there was a way to solve this issues, so that everyone could live in peace.”
Since the war broke out in October, tensions between Israel, its neighbors and other countries in the Middle East have been polarizing communities as American dollars continue to flow in.
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“I think we have a lot of valid expenses in this country,” Elizabeth Borowsky of Lebanon, New Hampshire, said. “We need to prioritize the needs of our people and that’s education, healthcare and infrastructure.”
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since its founding, and much of that aid goes towards supporting the country’s military.
Blumenthal said passing the supplemental is one way to deter Iran.
“Deterring them is so important for this supplemental to do,” Blumenthal said. “The message to Iran has to be we are prepared to protect our troops, our forces, commercial shipping in the Red Sea, against your proxies.”
Senior official told NBC News that while President Biden is committed to Israel’s security, he has told Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate.
