Florida Congressman Brian Mast suggested that the United States can “benefit” from Israel’s attacks on Iran if the airstrikes are concentrated on Iran’s drone facilities.
Israeli officials confirmed that its military carried out a series of strikes in retaliation to the air raid that Iran launched earlier this month. Iranian media outlets reported that explosions and the sounds of air defense systems being activated around Tehran could be heard Friday night. A spokesperson for Israel’s National Security Council said that its military “is conducting targeted strikes against military targets in Iran as an exercise of self-defense and in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel on October 1st.”
Mast, a Republican, reacted to the reports on X, formerly Twitter, saying that “Israel can reshape the landscape to America’s benefit with these strikes.”
“If they hit Iran’s drone manufacturing facilities that means the Houthis can’t buy drones to attack American ships,” Mast added. “If Israel hits Iran’s oil fields that hurts China—Iran’s biggest petroleum client.”
Two Israeli officials who spoke with the Associated Press said that Israel was not targeting Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities in the airstrikes. It is unclear which sites were targeted in the attacks.
This is a developing story and will be updated as further information becomes available.