Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is laser focused on identifying threats and stopping them before they begin on the U.S. homeland, she told reporters while responding to questions about the U.S. actions against Iran and the subsequent retaliation by Iran, targeting the Al-Udeid Air Base.
When asked what her biggest concern is for the safety of Americans, Noem said it is all about identifying threats to the homeland.
“The President of the United States is making some very important decisions right now. My responsibility is to secure the homeland, to do all I can to make sure that we’re identifying threats that may be here, what we can do to get in front of them before anything could happen to the population that live here in the United States, but also to work with our local governors and law enforcement to make sure that they recognize potential threats or suspicious activities,” she said, noting that have not identified any “currently.” However, Noem said she was en route to an intelligence briefing to receive updated information.
Noem declared her commitment to maintaining a secure homeland on an X post on Saturday night soon after Trump addressed the nation following the successful U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities:
When asked what her message is for Americans concerned about an attack here at home, Noem said, “I would tell the people that live in this country to be grateful that they woke up this morning in the United States of America.”
“We, because we woke up here, are more blessed than 99 percent of the people in the world, because we live in a country where freedom and liberty is embraced, and that’s what our president was protecting by going after specific nuclear sites in Iran,” she said.
“That was something that was non-negotiable, and he did not do anything except take out the potential for that nuclear weapon to be utilized,” she said, declaring that the U.S. is “leading the world,” just as it has been doing so for “many years.”
“[It] will continue to do so as long as we still have strong leadership like President Trump’s,” she added.
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Her remarks follow confirmed reports of Iran retaliating against the U.S. by targeting the U.S. air base in Qatar.
The Qatari foreign ministry quickly denounced the attack and stated that “Qatar’s air defenses successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles.”
“We consider this a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter. We affirm that Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner equivalent with the nature and scale of this brazen aggression, in line with international law,” it continued, emphasizing that “dialogue is the only way to overcome the current crises and ensure the security of the region and the peace of its people.”
