Gov. DeSantis to Newsmax: Attack on Israel Is Equal to 9-11

In a Saturday interview on Newsmax, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged solidarity with Israel and called for the international community, including the United Nations, not to censor or distort Israel's response to the attack, which he likened to 9/11.

"They have not only the right but the duty to defend themselves, and they need to defend themselves with overwhelming force," DeSantis said. "This is a terrorist attack, which is equivalent to what we suffered on 9/11."

"I don't want to see the United Nations censuring Israel for responding. I don't want to see the media trying to distort and blame Israel for this. Israel was attacked. Israel should defend itself," he said.

DeSantis identified Iran as the source of the terrorism, highlighting Iran's financial support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

"We also need to understand what is the source of this terrorism, and the source is Iran. Iran is funding Hamas. Iran is funding Hezbollah, who may be getting into this fight that has been made possible by the Biden administration's loosening sanctions. Iran has made much more on oil revenue under the Biden administration," he added.

"And then this more recent $6 billion. Yeah, they're saying, 'Oh, well, that money could not be used for that,' and that may be true. But money's fungible.

"So when you give them money, $6 billion for something that they don't need to use their own money for that, and then they can shift it. And so that's what's happened. And they've empowered some really, really bad people. They've been doing it for years."

The 2024 GOP Republican presidential nomination hopeful criticized the Biden administration for loosening sanctions on Iran, providing the country with funds that could indirectly support terrorist activities. DeSantis stressed the importance of holding Iran accountable with strong sanctions to curtail its destabilizing actions on a global scale.

"Here, we just need to understand Iran is a big problem. Biden has empowered Iran, and we need to turn the screws and stop giving Iran a free ride," he said.

"Put them in the box. Make sure that they're strong, tight sanctions. And make sure they suffer economically and geopolitically for all the havoc that they're causing around the world," he continued.

DeSantis also accused Biden of being disrespectful to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and questioned his response to the crisis, particularly his reaction to the late-night attack, saying, "He didn't even roll out of bed until like 7:30."

He emphasized the need for a president who can respond to crises promptly and lead with passion and commitment to supporting Israel.

"He's the president of the United States. Our strongest ally in the Middle East is under attack, and he's just sleeping through the night," DeSantis said. "He does not have a strong passion for Israel. Seems like he was just going through the motions with the statements that he made."

DeSantis linked Israel's security to the U.S.-Mexico border, citing porous borders and potential terrorist threats from regions like Russia, China, Iran, and the Middle East. He expressed concern about the risk to American citizens. DeSantis predicted that Biden's lax border security measures could lead to a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

"We should be mindful in our country we've had 7 million people, at a minimum, pouring across our border. And we don't know who these people are. And they've come from places like Russia and China and Iran and other parts of the Middle East," he said.

"And I've predicted publicly — and I and I hope I'm wrong — I've said with what Biden's done at the border, there will eventually be a terrorist attack in the United States that you can trace for someone coming across the border. So he has put the American people in really significant jeopardy with how lackluster he's been in defending our own country."

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