Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday: “Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and the United States are inseparable.”

Israel lost “one of its best friends,” he added.

Graham had previously been a critic of Trump, saying before the 2016 presidential election: “If we nominate Trump, we will be destroyed… and we will deserve it.”

However, he voted against convicting Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial and supported Trump’s election in 2024.

“There is a dark side to Donald Trump… and he was a very good president. But I stick with him because I saw what he did,” Graham told the BBC in 2023.

Graham cited Trump’s record on the US southern border, the assassination of powerful Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and the appointment of conservative judges.

Following Graham’s death, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has the power to name a temporary replacement to serve out the remainder of Graham’s term, which ends in January.

His successor will be chosen in the November midterm elections.

Before Graham’s death, Republicans held a 53-47 majority over Democrats in the Senate. Both parties are fighting for control of the Senate in November.