() U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz warned Iran against trying to retaliate against American service members in the Middle East in the wake of Israel’s military strike against Tehran.

The Trump administration sought to distance itself from its ally’s attack on Tehran, but retaliatory actions against the U.S. were top of mind for some, including Cruz. The Texas Republican appeared on and asked people to pray for service members overseas who now may find themselves in harm’s way.

“I want to speak directly to the ayatollah, who chants ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,’” Cruz said Thursday night. “Understand, if you attack American military bases, if you kill even one American serviceman or woman, President Trump will respond with overwhelming force. So, do not do so.”

Israel said it had launched preemptive strikes because Iran was within days of acquiring nuclear weapons. Cruz noted the Trump administration gave the country 60 days to reach a deal with the U.S. to restrict its nuclear capabilities.

“This morning, Iran publicly stated they would not dismantle their centrifuges and they were going to build more, they were going to enrich more, and they were moving towards nuclear weapons,” Cruz said.

“That, in effect, was a giant middle finger to President Trump. And that was also telling Israel, ‘Attack us now, because if you wait any longer, we will have a nuclear weapon, and we may use that nuclear weapon to murder vast numbers of Israelis.’”