Pennsylvanians reacted to preemptive strikes by Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities and military leaders. Iran has responded with drone and missile attacks.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on X, “Freedom is not preserved by words alone—it demands courage, vigilance, and the resolve to act when necessary.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement saying the U.S. was not involved.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran,” said Rubio. “We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region.”
President Donald Trump cautioned Iran, saying, “There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter… come to an end.”
Both Pennsylvania U.S. senators issued strong statements in support of Israel.
“Dina and I are praying for Israel tonight. We are praying for the success of Israel’s mission to thwart the world’s largest state sponsor of terror and its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Iran has been a destabilizing threat to security in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and around the world, and has the blood of Americans on its hands. Preventing Iran from having a nuclear bomb is in the interest of the civilized world. I am grateful to President Trump and his team for trying to achieve this peacefully. But just this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency voted overwhelmingly that Iran was not in compliance with its obligations. So Israel has decided to act, and I stand with Israel,” Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) posted on X.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) posted several messages to X after news broke about Israel’s attack.
“Beepers 2.0. I love it.” Fetterman tweeted about how Israel activated drones based inside Iran to strike surface-to-surface missile launchers, a reference to the successful Israeli operation where the Hezbollah terror group members’ beepers exploded in their pockets.
“Our commitment to Israel must be absolute, and I fully support this attack. Keep wiping out the Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel. We must provide whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry—to fully back Israel in striking Iran,” Fetterman said in another post.
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) declared Iran “the largest state sponsor of terror in the world and the number one exporter of terror in the world” at an event Friday morning. “They are a destabilizing force in the world, and they are a force that has claimed lives all across the globe. Israel, according to President Trump, acted unilaterally last night and seemingly took out major operational assets that they have to do damage throughout the Middle East, throughout the world, and also took out some of their top leaders.
“There should be no one feeling bad for the terrorists out there, but I think there is reason to worry about a rise in tensions in the Middle East and across the globe anytime you have this type of operation.”
Shapiro also offered rare words of support for President Trump.
“I noted the president’s comments about wanting to figure out a way to tamp down any further actions, to try and create a level of calm in the region, and I think calm is incredibly important right now,” Shapiro said.
“Obviously, the Israelis were able to dismantle the nuclear arsenal, or at least a piece of it, and those guiding it. That’s probably a good day for the world, because that threat has been mitigated.” Shapiro added that he hopes “diplomacy is able to take over and calm the situation down.”
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action in response to continued threats from Iran,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks) said on X. “The United States was not involved in this operation, but we stand with our ally, as we always have, in shared purpose and mutual defense. A nuclear Iran is an unacceptable threat. In this moment, we remain vigilant, committed to protecting our forces, and united in our pursuit of peace through strength. Pray for Israel.”
Some local Jewish leaders also weighed in.
“After demonstrating decades of restraint as the Islamic Republic of Iran built a ‘ring of fire’ around the Jewish state and violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, Israel decimated several key nuclear weapons development sites. When the Iranian people rise up against the Ayatollah, they will seek the friendship of the Jewish state and the Jewish people worldwide,” said Rabbi Matt Abelson, a Greater Philadelphia Board of Rabbis member.
“As we await further information, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia stands in unwavering solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel—as we have throughout our shared history—praying for their immediate safety, strength and well-being, and for the protection of future generations to come as Israel defends itself from Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and other threats posed by the Iranian regime,” said Michael Balaban, president and CEO.
“Each time Israel takes on Iran, I think they are doing something the U.S. should have done over 40 years ago, said Richard Ilgenfritz, an Ardmore resident, Army veteran and writer. “It should go without saying but the Iranian government has been waging war against the U.S. since 1979.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people in the U.S. and the West refuse to understand how dangerous Iran’s regime is, and there is no reason to think that if they had a nuclear weapon, they wouldn’t use it.
“Getting back to Iran’s 45-year war against the U.S., tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the hijacking of TWA flight 847 by terrorists supported by Iran,” said Ilgenfritz. “It included the murder of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stethem. He was beaten and then shot. His body was dumped on the tarmac at the Beirut airport. It was just one more attack against the U.S. by that evil regime. At the time of the hijacking, it was said they picked him because they thought he was a Marine, but it doesn’t matter; he was a U.S. service member who became an early casualty in the Iranian government’s 45-year war against the US.
“So, thank you, Israel.”
