Donald Trump said at a campaign event that Israel should "hit" Iran's nuclear sites, and "worry about the rest later" — even thought the "rest" could threaten nuclear annihilation of nations drawn into the conflict.
Trump pitched his recommendation Friday at a town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina, campaign event as he slammed President Joe's Biden's earlier remarks encouraging Israel to exercise caution in responding to Iran's missile attacks on Israel Tuesday — which were launched in response to Israeli bombings of Beirut that killed top Hezbollah leaders and civilians.
"They have a right to respond, but they should respond proportionally," Biden said of Israel. Asked whether this could include strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities the president responded: "The answer is no."
That's exactly the wrong advice, Tump insisted Friday.
"They asked [Biden]: 'What do you think about Iran? Would you hit Iran?' And he goes, 'As long as they don't hit the nuclear stuff,'" Trump recounted.
"That's the thing you want to hit, right? I said I think he's got that wrong. Isn't that the one you're supposed to hit? It's the biggest risk we have, nuclear weapons, the power of nuclear weapons," Trump also admitted.
He added: "When they asked him that question the answer should have been, 'Hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later.'"
The United Nations nuclear watchdog has reported that Iran has enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, close to what's required to make a nuclear bomb.
Trump: Biden was asked (about the attack on Iran) and he said that nuclear centers should not be hit, by the way, nuclear centers are where we should try to hit them! pic.twitter.com/39jcmL4i5A
— World War 3 (@Worldwar_3_) October 5, 2024
Some Israeli military bases were struck in Iran's missile attack earlier this week, along with restaurants and schools. The only fatality reported was a Palestinian living in the West Bank killed by falling missile debris.
Trump wasn't nearly so vengeful when he was in the White House and more than 100 American. service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in an Iranian missile attack on the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq in 2020. He issued new sanctions.
When asked about the attack earlier this week, Trump mocked those injured, saying they suffered little more than "headaches."
Reporter: Do you believe you should’ve been tougher on Iran after they had launched ballistic missiles in 2020 on US forces leaving more than 100 soldiers injured?
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 1, 2024
Trump: What does injured mean? You mean because they had a headache.. no one was tougher on Iraq.. pic.twitter.com/MHr1ij04KF
October 7 will mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took hundreds of Israelis hostage, many of whom were later killed. Israel's ongoing military response has killed some 40,000 Palestinians.
Its military attacks have now spread to Lebanon in a bid to take out the leadership of Iran-backed Hezbollah.
