Lindsey Graham
Lindsey GrahamReuters

US Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Thursday said he agreed with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s condemnation of Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria.

In a series of tweets, Graham also urged US President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria.

“Could not agree with Prime Minister Netanyahu more. Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria attacking one of America’s most reliable allies – the Kurds -- is a nightmare for the US and Israel,” wrote Graham.

“ISIS will return and Assad/Iran will grow stronger to the detriment of the US, Israel, and the world,” he warned.

“Mr. President, your decision regarding Syria is having grave consequences to our national security and that of our allies and partners. I implore you to join my effort to:

•Impose sanctions on Turkey.

•reestablish safe zones to protect our Kurdish allies.

•and prevent the reemergence of ISIS before it’s too late.

Please change course while you still can,” concluded Graham.

Netanyahu had earlier said that Israel “strongly condemns the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish areas in Syria and warns against the ethnic cleansing of the Kurds by Turkey and its proxies.”

He also offered to extend humanitarian assistance to the Kurdish people.

Turkey launched the military operation on Wednesday in an attempt to push out Kurdish militias. The operation began three days after Trump’s announcement on Sunday of a withdrawal of US forces in northeastern Syria, with some arguing the move was an authorization for Turkey to invade the region.

Graham had expressed opposition to Trump’s sudden decision soon after it was made, warning such a move would be a “nightmare for Israel”. On Tuesday, Graham threatened Turkey with devastating sanctions if it launches an operation in northern Syria.

Meanwhile on Thursday, 29 Republicans in the US House of Representatives announced they would introduce legislation to impose sanctions against Turkey in the wake of its assault on Kurdish forces in Syria.