Senator Lindsey Graham urges US to hit Iran

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has claimed the Biden administration is "failing" U.S. troops in the field following attacks on soldiers in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. 

"The Houthis are completely backed by Iran. I've been saying for six months now, hit Iran. They have oil fields out in the open. They have the Revolutionary Guard headquarters. You can see from space, blow it off the map," Graham told Fox News on December 27.

"If you really want to protect American soldiers, make it real to the Ayatollah [Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei]," he said.

"We're fighting the Houthis. We beat the Germans and the Japanese. We should be able to beat the Houthis. Secretary Austin and the Biden administration's failing our troops in the field," he added.

Graham described terrorists in the Middle East as "religious Nazis" and said that while he does not believe 100,000 U.S. troops are needed overseas to defeat them, the U.S. does need "some."

"That's the only way to be safe in this war," he said. "And over the arc of time, people in the region will change. You see Saudi Arabia changing. I wish I had a simple answer. There is no answer other than fighting them over there smartly."

The U.S. Navy shot down anti-ship ballistic missiles on December 26 launched by incoming Iran-backed Houthi missiles in the Red Sea.

Nearly 100 drones operated by the Houthis have been shot down since October 17. The group has attacked more than 21 international vessels in the region, which has disrupted global shipping.

Tuesday's (December 26) engagement came after three U.S. service members were injured in Iraq on Christmas Day when terrorists with Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, attacked Erbil Air Base. One of those injured was in critical condition. 

In response, U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on three facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq.