Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said on Sunday he now opposes U.S. aid for offensive weaponry for Israel but continued to defend U.S. support for defensive systems like Iron Dome.

The new stance from Gallego, who positioned himself as a pro-Israel moderate during his 2024 Senate campaign, highlights the changing currents within the Democratic Party. Gallego also acknowledged in an interview with NBC News that he’s considering a 2028 presidential run.

Gallego said that he would not support providing Israel with funding for offensive weapons due to disagreements with the country’s military operations in Iran and Lebanon. Gallego, a military veteran, has been among the Senate’s most strident opponents of the war in Iran.

But he said he would continue to support aid for missile-defense systems.

“Like any other ally in this in this world, I can’t imagine stopping defensive weapons going to any of our friends, because in that situation, if they’re raining down bombs, you’re hitting people that are, especially in Israel, they’re Arabs, Christians, Jews, people that are pro-war, against war. It’s indiscriminatory,” Gallego said. “I know that’s not a popular thing. I’m sure everyone wants to be on the other side, but I’ve seen civilians get hurt in war by both sides, and it’s not, it’s not something you want to be responsible for.”

Gallego missed Senate votes last July on resolutions by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to block certain arms shipments to Israel, but a spokesperson said he would have voted against those resolutions — allowing the arms transfers to proceed. 

Sanders has introduced a new set of similar resolutions, which are expected to come up for a vote when the Senate returns from its Passover and Easter recess. It’s unclear whether Gallego’s stance will extend to blocking Israeli purchases of U.S. weapons, in addition to U.S. aid.

Gallego’s new stance nonetheless positions him in a more moderate lane than other prospective Democratic presidential candidates including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), who said last week they would oppose funding for Iron Dome and other missile defense systems, arguing that Israel should be responsible for paying for them itself.