In comments to The Floridian about the ongoing operations against Iran, Representative Scott Franklin (R-FL) argued that the Iranian regime "openly declared war on us," citing previous terror attacks that were conducted through its proxies, including the 1983 Beirut bombing.
Despite the confirmed casualties resulting from the strikes (including Capt. Cody A. Khork of Florida), Rep. Franklin said that, from a military standpoint, "Operation Epic Fury" is "outstanding so far" and operationally "textbook."
When asked about how critics have called the military operation illegal and that attacking Iran is unjustified, Rep. Franklin responded by declaring that the "country that has openly declared war on us."
"What is the acceptable amount of Americans that they can kill?" he questioned, adding that Iran has acted with hostility for much of his personal life.
Notably, during his time in the U.S. Naval Academy, Franklin said his first training was in Beirut, Lebanon, just three months before the 1983 bombing, which killed 241 American troops, and "has never been avenged."
"It has been the story of our lives, of our entire adult life: We have had Iran killing people," the Florida congressman continued, "and you know, at every level of technology they have been able to get their hands on, they will maximize it to kill people."
While the United States is debating the current hostilities as a political issue, Franklin suggested that, for Iran, "it is a religious holy war." He suggested that if a Democrat was in the White House, then Democrats would not be expressing outrage or be "grandstanding."
Franklin further chastised Democrats, accusing them of shutting down the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), even after the recent deadly shooting in Austin, Texas, by a suspected jihadist shortly after the attacks began.
"If that is not politics, I don't know what is, so shame on them for that," Franklin concluded.
