Hundreds have died in assaults launched out of Gaza over the weekend, including 11 U.S. citizens. During the war’s third day, Israel has increased airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he stands with Israel and told Iowans during his recent visit to Le Mars that the militant group Hamas should be wiped "off the face of the earth." He claims Iran is behind the attacks.
"If you look at Iran, since 1979 when the Ayatollah took over, they have wanted to kill as many Americans and kill as many Jews as possible," he told the crowd.
DeSantis says the Biden administration has been too lenient by allowing Iran to access billions in oil revenue as part of a prisoner exchange. He added that President Joe Biden has been “missing in action” and believes he should have never allowed a recent prisoner exchange that freed five Americans but also gave Tehran access to $6 billion of frozen oil revenues. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pushed back, saying the money is restricted to humanitarian purposes.
DeSantis' comments echoed those made by his GOP competitors in the race, former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump, who have both visited Iowa since the attack.
DeSantis says he predicts Israel will face backlash over the next days and potential weeks and months of their war.
“You're going to start seeing elites, you're gonna start seeing media, you're gonna start seeing maybe even the United Nations start to attack Israel,” he said. “They're gonna blame Israel for what happened just because Israel's defending themselves. And we cannot let that happen. We have to stand with them so that they do what they need to do to secure their country.”
DeSantis spent three days on a bus tour of Iowa, including a stop at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars that attracted more than 150 people. The crowd heard the candidate talk about his record as Governor of Florida and how Iowa mirrored some of the initiatives he passed while in office, including the heartbeat bill and school choice.
He is beefing up his focus on the Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 15 by moving a third of his campaign staff to the lead-off state.
