US lawmakers say Israeli strikes against Syria make stability 'more difficult to achieve'

WASHINGTON

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers criticized recent Israeli strikes in southern Syria, warning that the attacks undermine efforts to secure stability in a country that recently emerged from a more than 14-year civil war.

"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," according to a statement from senators Jeanne Shaheen and Joni Ernst, along with Rep. Joe Wilson.

The statement from Shaheen, a Democrat, and Republicans Ernst and Wilson came after a visit to Syria where they "heard directly from interim President Al Sharaa, Cabinet ministers and Syrians from across ethnic and religious communities."

The lawmakers praised President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to lift US sanctions on Syria as a “bold step” that paved the way for renewed diplomacy. They noted that US special envoy Tom Barrack helped broker a meeting between Syrian and Israeli officials earlier this month.

“We call on Israel to seize the moment and immediately cease hostilities so the progress made by Syrians and Special Envoy Barrack can continue,” they said. "A stable and secure Syria is the only path toward freedom from Iran’s reach and containment of the ISIS threat."

The statement was released after Israeli warplanes struck several sites near the town of al-Kiswah in the Damascus countryside late Wednesday. One day after earlier, airstrikes on the same town killed six Syrian soldiers.

The Israeli army also carried out several incursions into the Quneitra countryside, despite international demands to halt violations of Syria’s sovereignty.

Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last December, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes targeting military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems and air defense installations, according to reports.

Israel also expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Ba'ath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

A new transitional administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa was formed in January.