U.S. Senator Warns: Iran’s Ballistic Missiles Could Overwhelm Israel’s Defenses

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham warned Sunday that Iran’s accelerated effort to rebuild and expand its ballistic missile arsenal poses a strategic danger to Israel that is now as severe as Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Speaking during a visit to Israel, Graham said the purpose of his trip was to refocus American attention on Iran’s missile production, which he believes has not received sufficient priority in recent discussions. “This trip is about elevating the risk ballistic missiles pose to Israel,” he told The Jerusalem Post.

Graham addressed concerns voiced by Israeli officials that Washington has focused heavily on Iran’s nuclear program while downplaying the missile threat. But according Graham, that imbalance is “changing,” he said. “We cannot allow Iran to produce ballistic missiles because they could overwhelm the Iron Dome. It’s a major threat.”

He said Iran is producing ballistic missiles “in very high numbers,” warning that a future confrontation would likely center on that capability. The goal, he said, would be to saturate Israeli air defenses and reduce their effectiveness. “They were degraded before, but if there is another attack [against them], it would be focused on their ballistic missile capability so they can’t overwhelm Iron Dome,” Graham said.

The senator described Iran and its regional proxies as being in a phase of renewed recovery following recent blows. “My takeaway from this trip is simple,” he told the Jerusalem Post. “Hamas is regenerating. Iran is regenerating. Hezbollah is trying to build more weapons. We hit them hard, but they’re trying to come back — and on the missile side, that’s a real threat to Israel.”

Asked whether the missile threat should be viewed as strategic to the United States as well, Graham framed Israel’s security as inseparable from America’s. “Anything that weakens Israel weakens America.” He pointed to the value of Israel’s intelligence and security institutions, including the Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Israel Defense Forces, arguing that their contributions to U.S. national security could not be replicated. “The money we provide to Israel is a small fraction of what we get in return,” he said.

Graham said he is not advocating a U.S. ground invasion or forced regime change in Iran, but made clear he wants Tehran’s military capabilities dismantled. “I want to destroy their capability to produce ballistic missiles,” he said. “I want to make sure they can never enrich one ounce of uranium or plutonium. And I want their proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis — dealt with effectively.” Without Iran, Graham argued, those groups could not survive. He described Iran’s leadership as “a fanatical regime” that oppresses its own people, adding, “I pray for this regime to fall — but I’m not advocating an American invasion of Iran.”

Graham also addressed Gaza and Hamas in separate remarks to The Times of Israel and NBC’s Meet the Press, reiterating his long-held view that peace is impossible while Hamas remains armed. “Put them on the clock,” he said from Tel Aviv. “If they don’t disarm in a credible way, then unleash Israel on ’em.” He also said there is no realistic scenario in which an international stabilization force could succeed without Hamas first surrendering its weapons: “There’s no international stabilizing force that’s going to come in here and fight,” Graham said.

Citing Israeli and American intelligence briefings, Graham said Hamas is not moving toward disarmament. “What did I learn on this trip? That Hamas is not disarming. They’re rearming,” he said on Meet the Press. “That’s what the military intelligence people in Israel tell me. That’s what the IDF told me. That’s what our own people told me.”

Using blunt language, Graham said, “These people are religious zealots. They’re religious Nazis.” He concluded that as long as Hamas remains armed and committed to staying in power, “there is no pathway forward to peace.”