The late US Senator Lindsey Graham “understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in a statement after the South Carolina lawmaker’s sudden passing the previous evening.

“He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” said Netanyahu in a statement released by his office.

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends,” he continued. “America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”

The South Carolina Republican, a leading supporter of Israel on Capitol Hill, died Saturday evening after a “brief and sudden illness,” said his office in a statement.

Netanyahu was considering flying to the US for the funeral, according to a source in the Prime Minister’s Office. The prime minister has  already been working to coordinate a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the coming weeks.

According to NBC, emergency services responded to a call to Graham’s Washington, DC, home for a “cardiac arrest,” according to police scanner audio.

“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” said his office.

President Isaac Herzog said in a statement that he was “shocked and heartbroken” upon hearing of Graham’s death, whom he called a “great American patriot, a great friend of Israel, and my dear friend.”

“Senator Graham was a beacon of moral clarity and a true leader of the US-Israel partnership,” said Herzog on X. “We will never forget how he stood by the people of Israel in our most difficult moments, and we will remain eternally grateful for his sense of justice, truth, and loyalty.”

“The people of Israel mourn his loss, and I will miss my great friend very dearly.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the South Carolina........

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