U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) issued a direct threat to Iran on Sunday evening, saying that if Tehran uses Hezbollah to attack Israel, it will face consequences — and that if Iran tries to test the U.S., America will 'eliminate' its leadership. The statement, reported by Amit Segal (N12), marks a sharp escalation in Graham's public messaging on the Lebanon front.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham escalated his public warnings to Iran on Sunday evening, stating bluntly: "If Iran tries to test us, we will eliminate them. If Iran's leaders continue to use Hezbollah to attack Israel — they will face consequences." The statement, reported by Amit Segal (N12), follows a series of Graham's remarks on the Lebanon-Israel front over the past week.
As The Zioneer reported earlier on Sunday (18:28 Jerusalem), Graham had already delivered a stark message to Iran that a Hezbollah attack on Israel would trigger a U.S. strike on Iran. Today's language sharpens that threat: Graham now explicitly says the U.S. would 'eliminate' Iranian leaders, rather than merely strike targets. The new message was posted at 19:27 Jerusalem and is attributed directly to the senator.
The threat comes against the backdrop of persistent Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel, which Graham has previously described as forcing evacuations. It also follows a period of reported tension between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu over the scope of Israeli operations against Hezbollah — tension Graham addressed in a June 14 statement thanking Israel for eliminating a Hezbollah operative.
The single-source nature of the report (one journalist's the source) means the exact venue and audience for the remarks remain unspecified. No additional corroboration was available at publication time.
3 developments
- DevelopingSenator Graham questions US restraint as Hezbollah attacks force evacuations in northern Israel
- DevelopingTrump reportedly sides with Iran on demand that Israel stop attacking Hezbollah
- DevelopingSenator Graham thanks Israel for Hezbollah strike amid Trump-Netanyahu tension
- DevelopingTrump threatens 'very hard' strikes on Iran if Hezbollah continues to cause trouble
Source and signal
- Internal intake