Rep. Mark Green: If US doesn't respond to Iran, 'We are incentivizing future attacks'

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Reps. Mark Green, John Garamendi on Iran drone attack

Reps. Mark Green, John Garamendi on Iran drone attack

The U.S. must offer a "measured response" to Iran's downing of an American drone over the Strait of Hormuz, according to a Republican member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Failure to respond to Iranian aggression would incentivize future attacks, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., told Shannon Bream on Thursday on "Fox News @Night."

"I think we clearly need a measured response here," Green said. "I think the world needs to see, honestly, smoke and fire. I think Kim Jong Un needs to see smoke and fire. There's been an attack on the U.S. military and if we don't respond, we are incentivizing future attacks."

SITUATION ROOM BRIEFING ON IRAN CRISIS CONCLUDES, AS MCCONNELL SAYS 'MEASURED' RESPONSE IS COMING

"There's been an attack on the U.S. military and if we don't respond, we are incentivizing future attacks."

— U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., member of the House Homeland Security Committee

"I think it's time to act," he added.

Green added that President Trump acted responsibly and conservatively to the attack on the unmanned drone.

"Let's give President Trump some credit," Green said. "He's had a very measured response here. He even gave them an out with this 'potentially it was a trigger-happy guy.'."

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Top administration officials and lawmakers met at the White House late Thursday for a classified briefing about the incident. They suggested that a "measured" U.S. response is likely coming soon.

Amid mounting tension between the U.S. and Iran, the White House earlier Thursday invited House and Senate leaders -- as well as members of the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees -- to meet with President Trump in the Situation Room of the White House.

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Others who arrived for the meeting included CIA Director Gina Haspel, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Army Secretary Mark Esper, whom Trump has said he'll nominate to succeed the departing Shanahan.

Shanahan was spotted outside the White House carrying a folder stamped "SECRET/NOFORN," an intelligence classification category prohibiting distribution to anyone outside the government.

Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report.