Israeli officials were enthusiastic about President-elect Donald Trump’s expected incoming national security team, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as secretary of state and Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Waltz (R-FL) for ambassador to the U.N. and national security advisor, respectively.

A source close to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he is “expected to warmly welcome” his likely counterpart Rubio.

“We’re talking about someone who is not only a firm friend of Israel, but has a consistent track record on the major issues of the day,” such as Iran, the source said.

Officials in other Israeli government offices related to national security had positive things to say about the likely nominees, but did not want to be quoted until they are official. Trump has only announced he is tapping Stefanik for U.N. ambassador.

Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman was the one cabinet minister to comment publicly on Tuesday morning, posting on X that she is “happy and congratulates President Trump for his appointments. Marco Rubio and Michael Waltz are people with their heads on straight and moral clarity. This is good news for the free world and the State of Israel.”

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon posted his congratulations to Rubio and Stefanik, and said that he “look[s] forward to strengthening the enduring bond between Israel and the United States, working together for a safer, more prosperous future for all.”

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana praised the “brilliant pick” of Stefanik, posting photos from her visit to the Knesset last year and calling her “a strong voice of moral clarity and a fierce fighter for what is right,” as well as “a steadfast friend” of Israel and the Jewish people.

Former Israeli National Security Advisor and head of the Misgav Institute for National Security Meir Ben-Shabbat, who served under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during Trump’s first term, said that while he does not know the nominees personally, he is familiar with their stances on matters important to Israel.

“There is potential for a dramatic change, to expand the Abraham Accords and continue the vision of the previous term, to bring stability, peace and prosperity, but it must be done through strength,” he said.

Ben-Shabbat called the president-elect’s reported choices “good news for anyone who understands that Iran is the central threat to peace and stability in the world and the root of all evil in the Middle East, and that battling it requires a proactive and aggressive approach.” 

With Iran threatening to further strike Israel, after two ballistic missile attacks this year, and advancing its nuclear program, Ben-Shabbat said that “the world does not need to use its imagination to understand what connecting Iran’s modern missile program and its nuclear weapons will look like.”

“Trump and his people understand well that weakness invites evil,” Ben-Shabbat added. 

Ben-Shabbat said that the Iranians interpreted the Biden administration’s diplomatic approach as weakness and were increasingly bold in their aggression. He called on the next administration to bring back “maximum pressure” sanctions, along with the threat of military action, as well as a goal of regime change.

Rubio has pushed for stronger sanctions on Iran and their enforcement in the past year, and even criticized the first Trump administration for not going far enough with sanctions.

Waltz and Rubio have also been active in seeking sanctions for the Houthis, Iran’s Yemeni proxy. Ben-Shabbat said “the time has come to smash the Iranian model in which the sender is exempt from responsibility for the messenger’s actions.”

As for what the appointments mean for Israel’s multi-front war against Iran and its proxies, Ben-Shabbat noted that Trump said “I’m not going to start wars, I’m going to stop wars,” but was optimistic that Trump and his nominees “understand what the end has to look like” and will “help it with the necessary means and support to shorten the war and reach a clear result.”