Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody, the lone Republican on Commissioners Court, praised the joint strikes on Iran the United States and Israel exacted over the weekend, KENS5 reports.
“I think it was an extraordinary first step, first strike by the United States and our partner and friend in Israel,” Moody told the TV station.
So far, the conflict has claimed the lives of at least 555 Iranians, according to Al Jazeera, and four U.S. soldiers, according to U.S. Central Command. More than 175 of those Iranian deaths were children who died when an Israeli missile struck an all-girls elementary school in the town of Minab in Southern Iran, according to the New York Times.
The death toll also included Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, prompting some Iranians to celebrate while others chanted “death to America.”
Since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran on Saturday, the conflict has quickly enveloped other Middle Eastern countries, threatening to destabilize the region.
Iran continues to strike U.S. assets throughout the Gulf region, and an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon killed 33 there in retaliation to strikes by the Iran-aligned Shia paramilitary group Hezbollah. Several U.S. fighter jets have also been shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait, according to Reuters, and at least 11 have died in Israel.
Moody, a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Reserves, told KENS5 he hasn’t received orders to mobilize but stands ready if called.
“War is an ugly thing, right, and we would rather not be at war, but this is needed,” Moody added.
The CBS affiliate paraphrased Moody stating that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. He also said he hoped the conflict would bring peace to the people of Iran after the oppressive regime’s brutal crackdown on protesters, which have lead to death tolls estimated from a few thousand to tens of thousands.
However, the death toll of U.S.’s escalating conflict with Iran is likely to climb the longer it drags on. For his part, Moody told KENS he hopes it will end quickly, though President Donald Trump has indicated in public comments that it could last as long as a month.
“No one wants a long, protracted war, but there are ways to use military force to make the world a safer, better place and protect our national interests around the world,” Moody said.
Just 1 in 4 Americans say they support the war in Iran, in part due to a lack of consensus building or justification leading up to the strikes.
As recently as a few months ago, Trump said Iran’s nuclear program had been “obliterated” by earlier strikes. However, in the buildup to Saturday’s attack, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Feb. 21 told FOX News the country was “a week away” from a nuclear bomb.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that Iran was “weeks away” from a nuclear bomb for more than 30 years.
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