On Saturday, July 18, 2026, the United States launched airstrikes on Iran. It was a dangerous, deadly moment — the kind of thing that could pull the country into a full-blown war. Two American service members had just been killed in Jordan, and more were hospitalized.

How did Florida Congressman Randy Fine respond? He treated it like a football game.

"Bombs away"

In a post on X, Fine wrote: "I am heartbroken and overwhelmed with gratitude to the soldiers and their families who sacrificed to protect America from the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon."

Then he added: "We must avenge them. May the gates of hell open to the evil in Iran. Bombs away."

Read that again. As families were learning their sons and daughters had died, and as the country stood on the edge of a new war, a sitting member of Congress cheered "bombs away" like a kid playing a video game. That's not leadership. That's a man who is excited about war.

The strikes themselves were serious business. U.S. Central Command said the attack was meant to "swiftly punish" Iranian forces after Iranian attacks killed American service members in Jordan the night before. Two service members were killed; four more were hospitalized. This is exactly the kind of moment that calls for a cool head. Fine offered the opposite.

This isn't a one-time slip

If "bombs away" were a single bad post on a hard day, maybe you could write it off. But with Randy Fine, celebrating violence is a pattern — it's practically his brand.

• In January 2026, after federal agents in Minneapolis shot and killed Alex Pretti — a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen who witnesses and police said was a lawful gun-permit holder who never drew his weapon — Fine celebrated the killing. He posted: "The insurrectionist was put down. Well done."
• After a Turkish-American activist was shot and killed by Israeli forces at a protest in the West Bank, Fine tweeted: "Throw rocks, get shot. One less #MuslimTerrorist. #FireAway." CAIR and House Democratic leaders called the remarks "bigoted and disgusting."
• In February 2026, he posted that "the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one." The post drew bipartisan condemnation and calls for him to resign.
• He has publicly declared himself an "Islamophobe" and called for mass expulsion of Muslims from the U.S. — including legal immigrants and citizens.

So when Fine posts "may the gates of hell open," it fits everything else we already know about him. This is a congressman who reaches for the language of death and destruction again and again.

Who benefits when Fine beats the war drum

It's worth asking why Fine is such an eager cheerleader for military strikes in the Middle East. His donors give a pretty clear answer.

Fine's own report card shows his single biggest donor by a mile is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) — $237,283, dwarfing every other contributor. That money buys a reliable voice for the most hawkish possible foreign policy. When Fine yells "bombs away," he's not speaking for the retirees in The Villages who worry about their grocery bills. He's speaking for the interests that fund him.

War isn't a slogan

Here's what "bombs away" actually means for real people. It means more American service members like the ones killed in Jordan put in harm's way. It means the risk of a wider war with no clear end. It means gas prices and costs at home going up if the Strait of Hormuz shuts down. The people who pay the price for a war are the soldiers who fight it and the families back home — not the politicians who tweet cheers from a safe office.

We should expect the people we send to Congress to treat war as the gravest decision a country can make. Randy Fine treats it as a chance to sound tough online. The people of Florida's 6th District deserve a representative who takes their lives — and the lives of American troops — seriously.

Source

This post is based on Raw Story's report on Randy Fine's "bombs away" post following the U.S. strikes on Iran.