Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle welcomed Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and other top leaders of the terror group in its military operations.

Outside of some far-left detractors, word of the IDF taking out Nasrallah and his leadership team in a series of strikes in southern Beirut last week has been met with praise from leading lawmakers, including those who have been critical of Israel’s war in Gaza. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement, “Hezbollah has the blood of hundreds of Americans on its hands. The world is safer and better off without Nasrallah’s terrorism and oppression, and I will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism.”

“The United States and its partners must maintain efforts to ensure Israel’s security, deter and prevent Iranian-backed actors from expanding this conflict, and pursue regional stability,” Schumer added.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) similarly denounced Nasrallah while urging the U.S. to recognize “what it means” to target our enemies abroad. 

“Like [Imad Fayez] Mugniyah and [Qassem] Soleimani before him, Hassan Nasrallah authored decades of terror and suffering across the Middle East. Israelis, Americans, Lebanese, and Syrians are safer without him on the battlefield. America should heed this reminder of what it means to impose costs and justice on those who wish us harm,” McConnell said. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) put out a joint statement with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) celebrating that “Nasrallah’s reign of bloodshed, oppression, and terror has been brought to an end.”

“A puppet of the Iranian regime, he was one of the most brutal terrorists on the planet, and a coward who hid behind women and children to carry out his attacks. Thanks to the brave men and women of the Israeli military, justice was delivered for Israeli victims of his heinous crimes, their families, and the United States. The world is better off without him,” the statement read. 

The three House leaders called on the White House “to end its counter-productive calls for a ceasefire and its ongoing diplomatic pressure campaign against Israel. Nasrallah’s death is a major step forward for the Middle East, and today’s victory for peace and security should be used to reassert America’s ironclad support for Israel as it fights for its very right to exist.”

Their call to reject a cease-fire was echoed by numerous Republicans speaking out over the weekend, while numerous pro-Israel Democrats joined in the chorus of cheering Nasrallah’s demise.  

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said that Nasrallah was “the architect of terrorist attacks against the United States, Israel and other democratic allies for decades. Nasrallah and Hezbollah are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans. The Middle East and the world are now a safer place.”

Jeffries added: “Our commitment to the safety and security of the Israeli people is ironclad. Israel has a right to defend itself against the terror unleashed on its citizens by Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran and its proxies. At the same time, I continue to support the efforts of President Biden and his administration to de-escalate the ongoing conflict in the Middle East through a diplomatic solution that secures the release of Israeli hostages, protects Palestinian civilians from the horrors of war and allows displaced Israeli citizens to return to their homes.”

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that Nasrallah “has decades of blood on his hands. He is responsible for the deaths of Americans, Lebanese, Israelis, Syrians, and countless others, and his death is a modicum of justice for all those who have suffered as a result of his acts of terror. The future of the people of Lebanon — a state he helped hold hostage — and the region is more hopeful without him.”

“The United States stands ready to defend its citizens and deter the threat posed by Iranian-backed terrorist groups like Hezbollah, and supports Israel’s right to do the same,” he continued. 

Cardin then reiterated his call for a regional cease-fire “that protects innocent Israeli and Lebanese citizens and secures a broader agreement to end the conflict in Gaza, surge humanitarian assistance, and bring the hostages home now. The path forward must be one of peace, not more violence.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) rejected that cease-fire call, which has the backing of President Joe Biden, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “It’s important to stress just what a huge blow the last two weeks have been against Hezbollah. Iran is behind all of these terror networks, but Hezbollah is its most potent weapon.”

“Hezbollah has over 100,000 rockets and missiles and mortars aimed at Israel. Iran has used that threat to deter Israel for years, going back probably 20 years or so. Now that Israel has absolutely devastated the entire leadership structure of Hezbollah, whether it’s at the attacks that came just late last week, killing not only Hassan Nasrallah and all the other leaders, or some of their other actions, or hitting their weapons depots and manufacturing sites in Syria, now is not the time for a ceasefire or to de-escalate, as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris want,” Cotton said. 

Cotton, who also serves on the Intelligence Committee, added that, “Hezbollah is on its knees. The United States should help Israel drive Hezbollah to the mat and choke it out and finish it off once and for all. That means, for the first time in decades, Iran would be exposed on its flanks with no terror proxy capable – capable of devastating Israel or our troops and our friends in the region.”

“That’s what we should do, not demand that we have a cease-fire, de-escalate at a time when Israel is trying to win. We should let Israel win.”

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), a close ally of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, defended the cease-fire effort and pushed back on GOP-led criticisms, noting that both he and the White House had been “forceful” in calling Nasrallah “a murderous terrorist who had American blood on his hands.”

“I think Israel is justified in their strikes against Hezbollah,” Coons told “Fox News Sunday.” “The call for a cease-fire is really because of a concern that a ground invasion of southern Lebanon by the IDF might well turn into a long and grinding war of attrition and concerns that Iran may well now retaliate, but President Biden and Vice President Harris are clear that we will stand by our ally Israel and defend them against attacks by Iranian proxies or direct attacks by Iran.”

Asked about criticisms from Republicans that Israeli leaders do not trust the current administration enough to inform them in advance about military operations, Coons acknowledged that there have been communication lapses while defending the Biden-Harris record.

“They should trust us. There have been some moments of tension because they don’t inform us of what they’re doing before they do. There is some question, of course, about the number of civilian deaths in Gaza as that war has ground on, but the idea that there should be any question about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris standing strongly by Israel and their right to defend themselves from attack is just nonsense,” Coons said. 

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said on Sunday he believes “the IDF sent a powerful message to Hezbollah” by killing Nasrallah. 

“This has been a really challenging situation that they’ve been faced with,” Kelly told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “They’ve got to do something about it. It’s good Nasrallah is dead. He’s a terrorist. He’s killed so many innocent people. And that needs to be addressed, and it has been addressed, and the Iranians, they’re involved in this already through the Houthis and their other proxies and through Hezbollah.”

“I think the message has been sent, and my hope is that there is not further conflict in the northern part of Israel,” he added. 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said during his “Meet the Press” interview that “wiping out not just Nasrallah, but the senior leadership of this evil organization, I think is a service to humanity.”

“If Nasrallah was still alive the threat of a broader conflict is even higher. This is the guy who cheerfully said, ‘Death to America, death to Israel.’ Now, when you’re a country and someone runs an organization that exists for the specific and defined purpose of destroying you, you have no choice but to treat that person as an enemy and to confront them likewise,” Rubio said. 

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) called on Hezbollah to “immediately fully comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, including moving its terrorist forces away from the border with Israel and entirely stopping its rocket and missile attacks.”

“Israel did not start this escalation. Hezbollah has subjected Israel to near-daily attacks for almost 12 months since Hamas’ brutal October 7 attack. The United States would never tolerate constant attacks on our homeland, and nor should Israel,” McCaul said in a statement. “And the United States must stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel, including promptly supplying defense articles and other military support, while Israel takes necessary action to restore its security.”

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who is running in a competitive Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), wrote on X, “The world is a better place without Hassan Nasrallah, whose 30+ years of leadership of Hezbollah has terrorized hundreds of thousands in Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.”

“There is a real risk of a cycle of escalation that regionalizes this conflict. The risk to civilians is significant, including thousands in the region with ties to Michigan,” Slotkin continued, adding that her office will be “sending out updated guidance for Americans trying to get out — please heed those warnings.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) urged Israel and Saudi Arabia to not let heightened fears of direct conflict with Iran deter them from moving forward on a normalization deal.

“We’re one missile away from civilians getting killed in Israel and maybe Israel having to hit Iran,” Graham said during a CNN’s “State of the Union” appearance. “[Secretary of State Tony] Blinken said the Iranian nuclear program was weeks away from having a weapon, potentially. I think what Iran’s learning from all this [is] it’s probably better to have a nuclear weapon than not. Their proxies have really been hurt. Hezbollah, Hamas have really been hurt.”

“What I fear is they will break out toward a nuclear weapon, thinking that’s the insurance policy they don’t have through the proxies,” he explained. “So to my friends in Israel, to my friends in Saudi Arabia, … [d]o not give up, do not let Iran win. Do the deal.”