Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), a fierce supporter of President Donald Trump’s, broke ranks with the president Sunday night after openly defying his foreign policy agenda – and urging a foreign nation to do the same.On Sunday, Israel pounded Lebanon’s largest city amid its ongoing occupation of the Middle East nation, which has sparked a humanitarian crisis and killed more than 3,400 Lebanese since early March. Trump claimed he was “not happy” about Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon, which risked jeopardizing ongoing peace talks between Washington and Tehran.Iran responded to Israel’s attack on Lebanon with a series of strikes of its own Sunday, after which Trump reportedly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “tell him not to retaliate,” according to Axios’ Barak Ravid.Instead of supporting Trump’s apparent de-escalation attempts, Fine, who is endorsed by Trump and previously said he didn’t believe there was a single thing he disagreed with Trump on, moved to call for open defiance of the president’s efforts.“Israel has every right to respond to rockets being fired at its civilians exactly as we would. Bombs away,” Fine wrote Sunday night in a social media post on X.Israel ultimately defied Trump and launched strikes on Iran, triggering a cascade of retaliatory moves: Yemen launched its own strikes toward Israel, and the Houthis announced a partial blockade of the Red Sea. Like the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea is another critical shipping waterway through which significant global trade flows.Former Director of the United States National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent, who resigned from the Trump administration in protest of the U.S. war against Iran, hit back at Fine for his remarks.“This statement is only true if Israel can do it on their own. As of now, they cannot and they are not,” Kent wrote in response. “Currently, Israel is only able to take action with our support and our resources – because of this, we should be calling the shots. We aren’t, and that’s the crux of the issue.”Fine has long been a strong supporter of Israel and has frequently sparked controversy for remarks that mirror those made by far-right Israeli officials. Last year, for instance, Fine said Gazans should ‘starve away’ until all Israeli hostages were returned, a remark made in response to reports about rising famine deaths of Gazans amid Israel’s aid blockade. And in 2021, in response to a social media user who shared a photo of what appears to be a Gazan infant buried in rubble with the question “how do you sleep at night,” Fine responded “quite well, actually,” and “thanks for the pic!”This statement is only true if Israel can do it on their own. As of now, they cannot and they are not. Currently, Israel is only able to take action with our support and our resources—because of this, we should be calling the shots. We aren’t, and that’s the crux of the… https://t.co/RTSzaiGyQe— Joe Kent (@joekent16jan19) June 8, 2026
