As the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies, with missiles now striking Tel Aviv, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows suggested Friday on Fox News’ “Hannity” that Israel could significantly weaken Iran by targeting its oil refineries. This comes after Israel initiated “Operation Rising Lion” with preemptive strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities on Thursday.
During his appearance, Meadows responded to host Sean Hannity’s query about the potential for Israel to expand its targets beyond nuclear sites to include oil infrastructure.
“At this point I don’t think they stop until they take out all of those nuclear facilities. The question is do they go further? Do they take away the ability of the Iranians to get any money at all, which would be oil, and that means take out their refineries?” Hannity asked.
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Meadows indicated that such a move would likely be a response to further escalation. “Well the only way they go after the oil is if indeed the escalation that we’re seeing tonight — literally as we’re talking, missiles are going into not only Tel Aviv but other areas of Israel. So if it continues to escalate, those kinds of oil production facilities and others will be targeted,” Meadows stated.
Following Israel’s initial offensive, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video detailing “Operation Rising Lion,” asserting his nation’s aim to “roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.”
Meadows praised Israel’s initial strategic approach, contrasting it with Iran’s retaliatory strikes. “But your point of and Senator [Tom] Cotton’s point of the strategic nature of the attack last night where Israel came in and actually went after military, not only targets, but individuals and not after civilians. We’re seeing a different thing tonight,” he remarked, referring to the missile barrages that hit Tel Aviv on Friday.
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He also highlighted President Donald Trump’s patience in dealing with Iran, even offering a “second chance” for negotiations. However, Meadows expressed skepticism about Iran’s willingness to genuinely negotiate, citing past instances of prolonged talks with “very little agreement.”
Iran indeed retaliated on Friday, launching ballistic missiles at multiple locations across Tel Aviv. Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu had declared that Israel had “struck the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program.” Iranian state media has since reported the deaths of several top military leaders, including Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio clarified after Israel’s initial strikes that the U.S. was not involved, a statement echoed by President Trump on Friday, who confirmed U.S. awareness of the operation but no direct aid in the attack. The escalating conflict has raised significant international concerns about regional stability.
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