Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled one of his final conversations with late South Carolina Sen.Lindsey Graham on Sunday, saying the longtime senator pushed back when Netanyahu proposed eventually ending U.S.
military aid to Israel."Because he was so concerned with our security, which he believed was your [America's] security, that he actually fought the prime minister of Israel on keeping America's aid or actually increasing it, and that tells you what kind of a person this extraordinary, extraordinary friend was," Netanyahu recalled on "Fox & Friends Weekend."The South Carolina Republican dominated headlines Sunday after passing away from a "brief and sudden illness." His unwavering support for allies like Israel and Ukraine remained central to conversations surrounding his impact.SEN.LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71 AFTER 'BRIEF AND SUDDEN' ILLNESS, OFFICE SAYSIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meets with then-Sen.
Lindsey Graham, left, at the Israeli Prime Minister's Office in West Jerusalem on Dec.21, 2025.
(Amos Ben Gershom / GPO / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)As Netanyahu recounted his "last" conversation with Graham, he said he assured the longtime Trump ally that Israel had "come of age" with a "robust economy" and the ability to be self-sufficient, but Graham refused to budge."[I told him] we can take care of our own — financing our own weapons for the defense of Israel and defense of our common interests with America, so I'm going to phase out… the military support for Israel over a period of years and bring it down to zero.We can do it,'" Netanyahu said."He [Graham] went ballistic.
He said, 'No way, you can't do that.'"EX-COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL JOE KENT ENDORSES GOP SENATE PRIMARY CHALLENGER AS TRUMP BACKS LINDSEY GRAHAMSen.Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., reacts as President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the Kennedy Center on Aug.
13, 2025, in Washington, D.C.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)Netanyahu fondly reflec...