On Friday’s broadcast of “CNN This Morning,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said that President Joe Biden “strongly urged Israel to avoid any response” to Iran’s attack on Israel, but “the fact that both Israel and Iran are downplaying” Israel’s response is “a good sign” and things appear to be de-escalating.
Kaine said, “President Biden strongly urged Israel to avoid any response once the U.S., Israel, and others very effectively defeated the missile and drone strikes that Iran launched into Israel, and that followed the Israeli attack on a consulate in Damascus that killed Iranians. The last thing we need is escalation right now. In this region, we need to de-escalate, hostage deal, ceasefire, de-escalation. That’s what we need. So, yes, I was troubled when I saw that Israel had decided to wage a strike inside Iranian territory. But it seems from what we know now to be fairly calibrated to send a message to Iran, you launched against our soil, we can reach out and touch your soil, but we’re not intending to cause great harm. And if that is the understanding now, both Iran and Israel want to show that they have capacity, but they want to de-escalate, hopefully, this will stop and there will be no more back-and-forth.”
Co-host John Berman then asked Kaine if he’s “relieved?”
Kaine responded, “Yes, I am. I think I went to bed, just like you, worrying what would this portend. And yet, the fact that both Israel and Iran are downplaying it is a good sign. So, this — the escalation needs to stop. In this region, Houthis firing into the Red Sea, Hezbollah firing into Israel from Lebanon, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. What we need to see is a de-escalation, and hopefully, the events overnight [were] Israel just showing it has a capacity, but calibrating that demonstration to avoid significant escalation.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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