Cruz says Israel has 'responsibility to defend itself' in meeting with Netanyahu

Ted Cruz said in a meeting Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem that the Jewish state "not only has the right, but also the responsibility to defend itself," according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

The Republican senator from Texas is in the middle of a visit to Israel with GOP colleagues to assess the aftermath of the 11-day conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization based in the Gaza Strip and to reaffirm US support for Israel.

Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina are the two other senators on the trip.

Since touching down Sunday, the three senators, who all serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have met with senior Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

Before departing Washington, Cruz was quoted as saying that he organized the trip "to hear and see firsthand what our Israeli allies need to defend themselves, and to show the international community that we stand unequivocally with Israel."

Cruz also visited the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon to witness the destruction caused by the more than 4,000 rockets fired by Hamas indiscriminately at Israeli civilians, sharing on social media a visit to a home that suffered a direct hit from a Hamas rocket that killed Soumya Santosh, a caretaker originally from India.