Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Sunday voiced his support for the explosion of Hezbollah members’ pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon, an attack that has led to backlash from some progressive Democrats.
Speaking on Meet the Press, Fetterman was asked if he agreed with anything fellow Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said when he claimed on the Senate floor that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “torpedoing” any possibility of a ceasefire deal and is “prolonging the war in order to cling to power.”
The Pennsylvania senator flatly stated, “No, not at all.”
“And I want to be very clear, I thought what Israel chose to do about blowing up the pagers and walkie-talkies and then after targeting and eliminating membership and leadership of Hezbollah – I absolutely support that. In fact, if anything, I love it,” he added.
Fetterman has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Israel among congressional Democrats following Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, which has evolved into a wider Middle Eastern conflict.
Earlier this week, 32 people were killed and thousands injured when a batch of pagers and walkie-talkies that Hezbollah operatives were carrying exploded in Lebanon. On Saturday, Hezbollah responded by launching dozens of missiles into northern Israel. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that there is “a real and acute danger” of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, and U.S. officials have warned that a war between the two would be disastrous.
However, U.S. officials support Israel’s decision to seek “de-escalation through escalation” with Hezbollah since a ceasefire deal is at an impasse, but worry that the tactic could quickly spiral out of control.
Several “Squad” Democrats came out in opposition to the pager attack, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) whose office was vandalized after she condemned the attack.
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“Yesterday my House office was tagged with blood-splattered signs accusing me of supporting terrorism after I questioned the pager operation, which clearly runs counter to US policy,” she posted on X. “They must live under a rock to not know I don’t take well to bullies.”
Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) also condemned the pager attack.