By Matt Berg

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who’s running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, said on Fox News this morning: “This is sick, and we have to treat sick people the way they deserve to be treated and eliminate them.” | Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo

With help from Connor O'Brien, Joe Gould, Alex Ward, Eric Bazail-Eimil, Joseph Gedeon, Maggie Miller, John Sakellariadis, Lara Seligman, Nahal Toosi, Kelly Garrity and Daniel Lippman

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As Washington sends Military support and plots more assistance for Israel in the wake of the Hamas attacks, U.S. lawmakers are escalating their rhetoric to call for extreme actions to “eliminate,” “eradicate” and “level” the militant group — no matter what it takes.

“Do whatever the hell you have to do to defend yourself. Level the place,” Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) told Fox News last night.

“Hamas must be eradicated & Israel must respond DISPROPORTIONATELY to this & to any futures attacks from any enemy,” Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) tweeted on Monday.

Former U.N. Ambassador NIKKI HALEY, who’s running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, said on Fox News this morning: “This is sick, and we have to treat sick people the way they deserve to be treated and eliminate them.”

Such statements backed by powerful people from Israel’s most powerful ally raise concerns for civilians in the region: Israeli airstrikes demolished entire neighborhoods in the Gaza Strip today, with upwards of 1,000 Palestinians killed. Israel also cut off the entry of food, water, fuel and medicine into the region, and Gaza’s only power plant ran out of fuel today.

Israeli officials have also been bold in their statements, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson EMMANUEL NAHSHON today issuing a call for the “complete and unequivocal defeat of the enemy, at any cost.”

“This war is not only against Hamas,” he said, without explaining who else Israel views as an enemy.

The rhetoric stands in contrast to the Biden administration’s calls for leaders in Jerusalem to conduct a “proportionate response” to the attacks. But as we’ve reported, the White House so far won’t say if there are any lines Jerusalem shouldn’t cross.

It also comes amid worries that Israel’s escalation in Gaza has the potential to draw the U.S. into a tricky military situation. The Pentagon is concerned about possible attacks on American troops stationed in the region from Iran and its proxy forces, Defense Department officials told our own LARA SELIGMAN.

Israel’s actions are “nothing less than genocidal,” Palestinian envoy to the U.N. RIYAD MANSOUR wrote in a letter to the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, citing the blocking of food shipments. The Gaza Strip is home to some 2 million Palestinians — nearly half of whom are under 18 years old — and was already impoverished before the latest strikes.

Rep. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D-Ill.) pointed out how murky the situation can be on the ground: Two of her district constituents are missing and may be held hostage by Hamas. She said she's "absolutely" concerned about their treatment by the militants, but also their safety amid Israel's response to the attacks.

"There has to be real caution that we are not putting them in further danger,” she told NatSec Daily and other reporters. “I'm talking about Americans but there's a number, obviously, more of the Israelis are now being held. So of course we have to worry about that.”

Schakowsky added: “I'm concerned also that if they have shut down the water and the heat … any kind of support in Gaza, then what does that mean for the people who are now hostages right now? My hope is that Hamas will take care of them in the hopes of maybe at some point of doing some exchanges for them, but we just don't know.”

Right now, there’s no sign that Washington’s support for its ally will waver anytime soon: “The United States support for Israel will be sustained, will be maintained, will be strong going forward,” National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY told reporters today.

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Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more.

IRAN CAUGHT OFF GUARD? Several pieces of intelligence collected by the United States show that top Iranian officials were surprised by Hamas’ attack over the weekend, American officials told The New York Times’ ADAM ENTOUS, JULIAN BARNES and JONATHAN SWAN.

“Key” Iranian officials who have connections with Tehran’s paramilitary arm that supports proxy forces didn’t know the offensive was coming, the officials said. The United States, Israel and regional allies also haven’t found evidence tying Iran to the weekend attacks, the U.S. officials and a Middle East official told the Times.

“Iran likely knew Hamas was planning operations against Israel, but without the precise timing or scope of what occurred,” a U.S. official, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, told NatSec Daily. The official added that the U.S. will be looking at additional intelligence in the coming weeks to inform their thinking.

This all comes as U.S. officials have insisted in recent days that Washington can’t confirm Iran played a role, while American politicians have urged the Biden administration to take action against Tehran regardless. Iran has provided military assistance and training to militant groups, including Hamas, in past years.

“There would be no launch of missiles coming out of the Gaza Strip unless folks in Iran gave the go ahead,” Rep. ZACH NUNN (R-Iowa) told our own JOSEPH GEDEON. National security adviser JAKE SULLIVAN on Tuesday said Tehran is “complicit,” but reiterated the U.S. doesn’t know whether they were directly involved.

As the Biden administration stands by its closest ally in the Middle East, DOD officials told Lara they’re specifically worried that Iranian proxy groups in Iraq and Syria, or Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf, could take advantage of the instability in the region to attack American or partner forces operating in those two countries — as they have done in the past.

Washington and its allies are also worried that Lebanese militant group Hezbollah could escalate the conflict, telling the group to stay out of it by communicating through the Lebanese government and other channels, multiple U.S. officials and people briefed on the discussions told CNN’s NATASHA BERTRAND, KATIE BO LILLIS and ALEX MARQUARDT. The U.S. won’t engage directly with a designated terrorist group.

Read: Israel ordered a ‘complete siege’ of Gaza. Here’s what that looks like by The Washington Post

UKRAINE’S WINTER PREP: Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY asked NATO countries for more weapons and air defenses to help Kyiv as it prepares for winter battle during a visit to the alliance’s headquarters today.

"Winter air defense is a significant part of the answer to the question of when this war will end and whether it will end justly for Ukraine," he said at a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, our own STUART LAU, JOSHUA POSANER and LAURA KAYALI report.

Zelenskyy made explicit comparisons to Moscow’s invasion and Hamas’ attack on Israel over the weekend, underscoring his support for leaders in Jerusalem as U.S. attention has been diverted away from Ukraine assistance, at least for the moment.

Today, Defense Secretary LLOYD AUSTIN announced the Pentagon will head a coalition of countries training Ukrainian pilots and crews to operate and maintain F-16 fighter jets alongside the Netherlands and Denmark, Joshua and PAUL McLEARY report.

The Ukranian leader’s appeal follows a series of massive Russian attacks involving thousands of troops, tanks and armored vehicles on Ukrainian positions in the east of the country in an effort to encircle Kyiv’s forces, our own VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA reports. Ukrainian Gen. OLEKSANDR TARNAVSKYI wrote on social media that in the past day, “the enemy launched 26 air strikes, fought 56 combat engagements, and made 849 artillery attacks.”

RESTARTING US TRAINING IN NIGER? The Biden administration is still considering whether to use a national security waiver to restart U.S. military training and advising of Nigerien forces, despite the decision to officially designate the military takeover a coup this week, two Defense Department officials tell Lara.

The formal designation, announced on Tuesday, triggered a little-known law that restricts the assistance that the U.S. can provide to a country that has engaged in a military coup. But the Secretary of State has the option of waiving some of those restrictions for national security purposes.

U.S. military forces in Niger are still waiting on a policy decision detailing whether to restart their mission of training the Nigeriens, said the officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive plans. So far none of the roughly 1,000 U.S. forces left in the country are slated to leave, they said.

Niger’s military junta has expressed the desire to return to a constitutional government, said a third DOD official. The State Department will “identify those points along that path at which we can resume certain activities,” the official said, describing the process as “a set of carrots” to incentivize the junta to return to democracy.

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SCOTT PLOTS: Sen. TIM SCOTT is the only GOP presidential candidate with federal sway over a U.S. response to Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. And he’s using it to try to levy penalties on Iran, our own BURGESS EVERETT reports.

The South Carolina Republican is working on a bill that would immediately freeze $6 billion in Iranian assets held in Qatar that were unlocked as part of a prisoner swap in September, a person familiar with the legislation told Burgess.

His plan would also require the Treasury Department to study Iranian assets worldwide so Congress can pass legislation to restrict access to those funds should the U.S. want to further curb Iran’s influence.

Read: Tim Scott knocks DeSantis, Ramaswamy on foreign policy amid violence in Israel by our own ANDREW ZHANG.

YOU MUSK DO IT: Billionaire ELON MUSK has until the end of today to respond to demands from the European Union to remove graphic images and disinformation linked to the violence in Israel from his social network X — or face the full force of Europe's new social media rules, our own MARK SCOTT reports.

If Musk fails to comply, the EU's rules state X could face fines of up to 6 percent of its revenue for potential wrongdoing. Under the regulations, social media companies are obliged to remove all forms of hate speech, incitement to violence and other gruesome images or propaganda that promote terrorist organizations.

Listen: On the POLITICO Tech podcast, our own STEVEN OVERLY explores how Hamas used social media to amplify its attack on Israel.

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

TESTING TOMMY, AGAIN: Senate Democrats are making a renewed push to force through hundreds of military nominations and a handful of ambassadorships, noting that the war in Israel has added new urgency to break through the logjam, our own JOE GOULD and CONNOR O’BRIEN report.

“I think this all argues for a pretty significant reform of the nominations process,” Sen. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.), who chairs the Foreign Relations subcommittee with oversight of Mideast policy, told them.

The military blockade — put in place by Sen. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-Ala.) in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy — includes two picks for the Joint Chiefs and officers leading U.S. forces in the Middle East. At the same time, three of Biden’s picks to be ambassadors to Middle Eastern countries, and his choice for the State Department’s top counterterrorism job, await votes in the Senate as the confirmation process sputters.

Murphy said the fallout from the brutal attacks over the weekend underscores the need to change the chamber’s rules to make it easier to confirm large numbers of promotions. Right now, a single senator can stall the process and force time-consuming votes.

FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — MOVE THAT MONEY: As pressure mounts on Biden to freeze $6 billion released to Iran as part of a prisoner swap deal amid the unfolding Middle East crisis, Rep. DAVID SCHWEIKERT (R-Ariz.) unveiled legislation to allow for the money to help fund Israel's defense.

Schweikert's bill, called the Fortify Israel Act, would allow the $6 billion and any current or future Iranian assets seized by the U.S. to be repurposed to buy weapons, equipment and services for Israel. It also blocks the release of frozen Iranian assets until hostilities between Israel and Hamas, as well as other Iran-backed groups, have ceased.

"This legislation ensures any current or future foreign assets frozen by the Treasury Department, including the $6 billion in Iranian funds recently unfrozen, be used to support Israel's right to defend itself," Schweikert said in a statement. "The Iranian regime and other state sponsors of terrorism can no longer be permitted to fund Hamas’ terrorist activities against the people of Israel.”

WATCH THIS INTEL SPACE: Rep. JIM HIMES (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, left a classified House briefing on the conflict in Israel and Gaza today convinced that a supplemental will be needed to support Israel, our own MAGGIE MILLER and JOHN SAKELLARIADIS write in.

“The No. 1 priority as you might imagine is munitions associated with air defense, Iron Dome, possibly additional Patriots,” Himes said during a phone call following the briefing. “In the very near term, we’re in very good shape in terms of providing that support … but that in the medium term, nobody defines that for us … there will be a supplemental needed.”

The Biden administration is weighing putting forward an aid package for Ukraine that is tied to assistance for Israel, as Republicans increasingly balk at giving Kyiv any further funding and support to combat Russia. Himes said there were “more than a few groans from the Republicans in the room” when the idea was floated during the briefing.

On the horn with John later in the day, Himes added that Israel's failure to spot the Hamas attack was a “shock” that merited a review on par with Washington’s own after-action assessment of the 9/11 terror attacks. He argued the Israeli intelligence failure should also prompt significant soul-searching within the U.S. Himes said he was concerned that Hamas could potentially do the same at a U.S. embassy or military base abroad.

Read: Hope fades that Congress can link Ukraine and Israel aid by Connor, Joe, ANTHONY ADRAGNA and NICHOLAS WU. 

FREEZE IT ANYWAYS: Sen. BOB CASEY (D-Penn.) called on Republicans to “stop intentionally misleading” the public when they allege Biden’s prisoner swap with Iran played a role in Hamas’ attack — but also said the White House should still refreeze the $6 billion in funds freed up as part of that deal anyways.

“Republican politicians should stop intentionally misleading the American people about this serious matter. None of the sanctions funds have been transferred to Iran,” Casey wrote in a statement today. “These funds should remain frozen until we can determine whether Iran played a role in the attack and what the appropriate U.S. response should be.”

DIRTY MINING IN XINJIANG: A new report alleges the mining industry in China’s Xinjiang region is contributing to human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslim population there, Eric writes in.

The report from the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, a Washington-based global security nonprofit, argues Chinese mining companies have managed to evade scrutiny for forced labor practices in Xinjiang, despite participating in the Beijing government’s controversial labor programs to “train” Uyghur Muslims in the region.

— NAOMI GONZÁLEZ is now the director for aviation and surface transportation for the National Security Council. She most recently was regional bureau chief for the Western hemisphere for international operations at the Transportation Security Administration

— USHA SAHAY is now chief speechwriter to Secretary of Energy JENNIFER GRANHOLM. She previously served as a speechwriter to SecDef Austin and before that was a senior editor at POLITICO Magazine.

— HOPE ARCURI is leaving the International Rescue Committee where she has been senior officer for global communications. She is headed to help lead corporate social responsibility communications at Verizon.

— SUZANNE MALONEY, Foreign Affairs: The end of America’s exit strategy in the Middle East

— FWD.US: The U.S. semiconductor industry needs skilled workers for thousands of open jobs

— RENÉE GRAHAM, The Boston Globe: Israel and Gaza: In the futility of modern war, there are no winners

— The Atlantic Council, 9 a.m.: Applying an irregular warfare lens to outer space

— The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9 a.m.: Strategic landpower discussion on challenges in the Indo-Pacific and the Army's role in the region

— The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 10 a.m.: Will Hezbollah and Iran expand war to Israel's north?

— The Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, 5 p.m.: Escalation of war in Palestine and Israel

Thanks to our editor, Emma Anderson, who escalates rhetoric against us daily.

We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who never fails to find nuance.

A message from Lockheed Martin:

Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.

Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more.

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