The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has targeted and killed Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Abu el-Atta in an airstrike, a move that lead to swift retaliation from Islamists in Gaza by firing numerous rockets into Israel.
"He was a ticking bomb," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Abu el-Atta was "in the midst of planning additional attacks in the immediate short term."
"Over the past year, this archterrorist was the main instigator of terrorism from the Gaza Strip. He initiated, planned and carried out many terrorist attacks," Netanyahu added — including "hundreds of rockets at communities in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip."
Florida state Rep. Jason Fischer (R), who is in Israel on vacation, tweeted that he “woke up” to the “sounds of sirens blaring outside” his Tel Aviv hotel room.
Fischer added that Islamists had fired rockets at “civilians” in the city and around several other communities around the country.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), who believes the Middle East is ready to explode into a “catastrophic regional war,” warned that if Iran were to launch missiles at Israel via their proxies in the area, including Hezbollah, the aggression would be met with “a strong response against Iran.”
“U.S. would in turn respond with devastating force,” stated Rubio.
Supporting Israel against military aggression is a bipartisan effort, and while Muslim-American Reps. Ilhan Omar (D) and Rashida Tlaib (D) stayed quiet over the attacks against Israel, Rep. Ted Deutch (D) did not.
“Rockets from Islamic Jihad continue to hit Israel, following Israeli operation to kill terrorist leader,” said Deutch “This indiscriminate rocket fire against civilians must be condemned. Israel has the absolute right to protect its people from these attacks.”
