US Defense Secretary’s Israel Warning Is Naive, GOP Senator Says

Graham says he’s ‘lost all confidence’ in Austin after speech
Austin said Israel risks strategic defeat with civilian toll

South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham at a Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas on Oct. 27.Photographer: Ronda Churchill/Bloomberg

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By Victoria Cavaliere

December 3, 2023 at 3:48 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he has lost confidence in US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after his “naive” comment that Israel risks strategic defeat in its war with Hamas if it fails to protect civilians in Gaza.

“Strategic failure is letting Hamas stand,” Graham, a foreign-policy hawk who backs Israel’s goal of eradicating Hamas, said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.