Last Updated Jan 3rd, 2020 at 12:36 pm

A swath of Democratic presidential candidates slammed President Trump on Thursday night, criticizing a U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general and saying they fear the move has only escalated tensions in the already-precarious region.

Former Vice President Joe Biden said that although "no American will mourn Qassem Soleimani's passing," he fears that Trump "just tossed a stick of dynamite in a tinderbox."

The sentiment was echoed by other Democratic candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

"This reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict," Warren tweeted on Thursday evening. "Our priority must be to avoid another costly war."

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) cited American losses when criticizing the airstrike.

"The U.S. has lost approximately 4,500 brave troops, tens of thousands have been wounded, and we've spent trillions," Sanders wrote.

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang said he pledged to end the "Forever Wars."