The Hamas terrorist attacks unfolding in the south of Israel have shocked the conscience of the world and prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce : "Citizens of Israel, we are at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war.” As more than 2,000 rockets rained down on Israel and Hamas terrorists stormed across the Gaza border by land, air, and sea, and as hostages, including children, were taken back across the border, both critics and supporters of the Israeli regime were sent scrambling for answers.

According to Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the enemies of the U.S. are emboldened to commit such atrocities due to the perception of American weakness on the global stage.

“The more you watch Biden’s actions, the more you realize that weakness on a global stage invites actions from bullies and dictators,” Scott told the Washington Examiner. “When you follow the cookie crumbles back, you arrive at August of two years ago and the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. You think about President Biden telling the Russians, ‘Here are some areas where we would like you all not to cyber attack.’ Then you watch him say, ‘A small incursion in Ukraine, maybe it’s not that big of a deal.’ And then while Germany and [Chancellor Olaf Scholz] move forward ... he’s sitting on his hands.”

In the hours following the attack, Scott took this poor assessment of the Biden administration a step further by connecting the dots between the September transfer of $6 billion to Hamas’s main backer, Iran, as part of a prisoner swap with the U.S. This comment received wide condemnation from Biden supporters, who were quick to argue that the funds were strictly limited to humanitarian purposes. Scott scoffed at the criticism.

“All money is fungible,” he said. “After negotiations had finished, the Iranian regime’s first reaction was to say that, ‘You can’t tell us what to do with the money. We can do whatever we want with the money.’ The No. 1 state-funded terrorist operation is Iran. The No. 1 funder of Hamas is Iran. Today, we’ve seen the manifestation of those resources attacking our allies. But more important than the money is that it sends the message that we continue to try and saddle the fence. This sends a message of weakness and confusion, and people act quickly on that.”

Scott's response to the crisis differed significantly from the tepid statement issued by the Biden administration, which initially urged "all sides to refrain from violence and retaliatory attacks." Instead, he signaled clear and resolute solidarity with Israel and communicated the U.S.’s willingness to provide the country the support and resources it will need to defend itself.

“The first phone call I’d make would be to Prime Minister Netanyahu to let him know that we are always with them,” Scott said. “The one thing I’d want to send from the United States of America as commander in chief is a clear, consistent, and undeniable message that we, the greatest, strongest nation on Earth, stand with our allies, and we will always be loyal to our allies.”

Peter Laffin is a contributor at the Washington Examiner. His work has also appeared in RealClearPolitics, the Catholic Thing, and the National Catholic Register.