Rep. Bacon says there will be ‘bigger risk’ of wider Middle East conflict if U.S. responds ‘weakly’

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Sunday warned a wider conflict could unfold in the Middle East if the United States chooses to respond "weakly" to Iran's latest missile attack against Israel.

Asked on NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday" if there is a risk of a wider conflagration should Israel retaliate against Iran, Bacon said, "Well, there is a risk. But I think there's a bigger risk if you respond weakly or if Israel responses weakly."

"I think it will just invite Iran to escalate because they will sense weakness on our part, or fear. And I think they've seen that with our current president. He's not responded forcefully too. Hundreds of attacks against American forces in Iraq and Syria and other places in the Middle East," he added. "And if they sense weakness, they're gonna keep ramping up the heat in America and Israel."

His comments come a day after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) 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.

Israel's air defense systems, with the assistance of allied forces, were able to intercept the majority of these missiles and drones, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed.

The incident comes after more than six months of violence in Gaza between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel. The fighting was sparked by the militants' surprise assault against southern Israel on Oct. 7 that left more than 1,200 people dead and about 250 others taken hostage.

Israel's retaliatory campaign against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the enclave. The violence prompted a spike in attacks by Tehran-backed proxies against American troops and bases in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the U.S.'s initial support of Israel.

The attacks died down in early February when the U.S. launched a retaliatory assault against the militia groups after an attack by Iranian-aligned militants killed three U.S. service members at a base in Jordan in January.

Bacon said going after proxies is not enough to deter Iran from violence.

"I think we have to respond forcefully to regain deterrence, going after proxy forces...Iran doesn't care. But if you go after Iran, they do care. And there are easy targets out there," Bacon added. "But Iran has to know they can't track American or Israel and get away with it."

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby on Sunday said Israel will ultimately decide how it chooses to respond to Tehran's attacks and emphasized the Biden administration is working to avoid a broader regional war.

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