A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers including Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) criticized the Israeli government on Thursday for carrying out a new round of strikes in Syria, which reportedly killed eight Syrian soldiers.

The statement is one of the most public signs yet of friction between U.S. lawmakers, including some staunch supporters of Israel, and the Israeli government over Israel’s approach to the new Syrian government, which has included repeated rounds of strikes on Syrian targets even amid diplomatic engagements. Many U.S. lawmakers, meanwhile, are urging a more optimistic approach.

“We just returned from Syria, where we heard directly from interim President [Ahmad] Al Sharaa, cabinet ministers and Syrians from across ethnic and religious communities,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement on Wednesday. “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 praised the Trump administration for lifting sanctions on Syria and U.S. envoy Tom Barrack for brokering a meeting between the Syrian and Israeli governments. They argued that there is a real but shrinking window for true Syrian-Israeli peace, and said Israel must step up.

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

The criticisms are similar to frustrations expressed privately by some Republican senators to Jewish Insider earlier this summer following Israeli strikes targeting the Syrian defense ministry and presidential palace in response to atrocities against Syrian Druze in Sweida.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told JI in July that Israel’s “security concerns in Syria are legitimate. They’re very important to me, but I also want to help the president with his efforts to integrate the country. So there’s some tension, and I hope we can clear it up.”

He said it would be critical to determine the extent to which the Syrian army has been involved in the atrocities against the Druze and how much control the Syrian government exerts over its coalition and allies. He said that if the Syrian military or government were involved, sanctions should be reinstated.