Rep. Brian Mast criticized House Democrats including Nancy Pelosi for urging Biden to reconsider authorizing an arms package for Israel that reportedly included F-35 fighter jets.
This came after F-35s helped Israel intercept nearly all of Iran’s aerial attacks on Sunday with a 99% success rate.
Mast said Pelosi and “the Squad” had demanded Biden stop transferring “offensive weapons” to Israel last week, which would have left them more vulnerable without the American jets.
“Just last week, Pelosi and the Squad demanded Joe Biden stop transferring ‘offensive weapons’ to Israel,” Mast said. “This was akin to them calling for the U.S. to abandon Israel in the middle of a war.”
“Can you imagine how much more devastating Iran’s attack would have been if Israel didn’t have American-made fighter jets to shoot down some of these missiles?” Mast added.
The Democrats’ letter warned the recent package of bombs and 25 F-35 jets gave them concerns, citing a deadly airstrike.
“In light of this incident, we strongly urge you to reconsider your recent decision to authorize the transfer of a new arms package to Israel, and to withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed,” the letter read.
“Given the horrifying facts on the ground, we are also greatly concerned by your recent decision to authorize an arms transfer to Israel, which reportedly includes 1,800 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 500 MK-82 500-pound bombs, and 25 F-35A fighter jets,” the letter added.
However, photos showed F-35s and F-15s defended Israel against drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles from Iran.
Mast argued the Democrats were calling for abandoning Israel in the middle of war by wanting to withhold weapons transfers until investigations, which would not impact the recent package arriving for months.
