Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Calls for US to Stand With Israel

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, said on Wednesday that Hezbollah -- which attacked and wounded two Israeli soldiers in recent days -- remains a major threat and called for the U.S. to stand with Israel. While critical of Islamic State (IS) terrorism, Ros-Lehtinen said the attack serves as a reminder there are other terrorist threats including Iran.

This attack is just another reminder of the grave threat that Hezbollah poses to our close friend and ally, the democratic Jewish state of Israel, Ros-Lehtinen said. Despite its engagement in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollahs arsenal still amounts to thousands of rockets that are pointed at Israel a severe threat that we must not ignore. Iran -- the biggest state sponsor of terrorism -- continues to support and supply Hezbollah, and is still actively pursuing an agenda of terror, even as the nuclear negotiations continue. As we have finally increased our efforts to counter the growing threats posed by IS and al-Qaida, we must simultaneously counter the threat posed by Iran's proxies.

As Israel is faced with more existential threats than ever before as she is trying to counter terrorist regimes like Iran and Syria and terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas, the United States must stand with Israel, the oasis of freedom in a desert of oppression, and give her the support she needs to be able to defend herself, Ros-Lehtinen added.