By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - US Sen. Jack Reed criticized Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, calling the move a “reckless escalation” that threatens to further destabilize the region.
"Israel’s alarming decision to launch airstrikes on Iran is a reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence," Reed said Thursday in a statement.
Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians but the stability of the entire Middle East and the safety of American citizens and forces.
"While tensions between Israel and Iran are real and complex, military aggression of this scale is never the answer," he said, urging both sides to show "immediate restraint."
He also called on President Donald Trump to press for diplomatic de-escalation before the crisis spirals further out of control.
The statement came after Israel launched a sweeping military operation against Iran on Friday, with strikes targeting its nuclear program and long-range missile capabilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech posted on YouTube that his forces struck the "heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear weaponization program."
Netanyahu described the attacks as a "targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took "unilateral action" against Iran.
"We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense," he added.