After trip to Damascus, 3 US lawmakers criticize Israel for ‘destabilizing’ strikes on Syria

A bipartisan trio of US lawmakers who recently got back from meetings with Syrian officials in Damascus issue a rare condemnation of Israel, taking issue with last night’s IDF strikes in Syria.

Democratic ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen, along with Republicans Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Joe Wilson, say the message they got from Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and other top officials in Damascus was that “Syria needs a chance to succeed and move past the violence and strife that consumed the country for over 14 years.”

“Last night’s destabilizing strikes on Syria by Israel make that goal more difficult to achieve,” the lawmakers say.

“We commend President Trump for taking the bold step of lifting sanctions off Syria earlier this year. Through the work of the President’s Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, a once-unthinkable and historic meeting occurred directly between the Syrian and Israel governments just this month,” they continue.

“The Syrians are prepared to move forward with Israel to advance peace. It is unclear how long the door to this opportunity will remain open. We call on Israel to seize the moment and immediately cease hostilities so the progress made by Syrians and Special Envoy Barrack can continue,” the US lawmakers add.

“A stable and secure Syria is the only path toward freedom from Iran’s reach and containment of the ISIS threat.”