In the wake of recent Israeli strikes near Damascus and renewed U.S.-Syria relations, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), along with Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), called on Israel to stop all hostilities in Syria on Thursday.
“The message was clear: 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 said in a statement.
The legislators commended U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent order to lift sanctions on Syria, as well as the work of Tom Barrack, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, who oversaw “a once-unthinkable and historic meeting occurred directly between the Syrian and Israeli governments just this month.”
“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,” the statement continued. “We call on Israel to seize the moment and immediately cease hostilities so the progress made by Syrians and Special Envoy Barrack can continue.”
“A stable and secure Syria is the only path toward freedom from Iran’s reach and containment of the ISIS threat,” the group wrote.
Syrian state media reported on Thursday that Israeli ground forces raided a site that had been attacked by air on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Israeli Air Force carried out around 15 strikes in southern Damascus that targeted the Syrian army headquarters, according to Israeli media.
This comes as Israel is working to create a demilitarized zone in Syria to provide aid and protection to the Druze community currently under threat by Syrian-backed militias.
