Political reaction in the United States to Thursday's killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was split among partisan lines with Democrats warning of unforeseen consequences while Republicans praised President Trump.

Top Democrats, while condemning Soleimani, warned that that the airstrike had the potential to set off a war, and chastised Trump for not seeking congressional approval.

Joe Biden, the Democratic frontrunner, said in a statement that 'President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox.'

'The Administration's statement says that its goal is to deter future attacks by Iran, but this action almost certainly will have the opposite effect,' Biden said.

Top Democrats on Thursday warned of the possible consequences of President Trump's (right) decision to assassinate Iranian Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani (left) in Baghdad

Former Vice President Joe Biden (left) said Trump was 'throwing dynamite into a tinderbox' while Senator Bernie Sanders (right) warned that 'this action puts us on the path to another' war

Perhaps the most forceful condemnation from the Democratic side came from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

'When I voted against the war in Iraq in 2002, I feared it would lead to greater destabilization of the region,' the independent senator tweeted on Thursday.

'That fear unfortunately turned out to be true.

'The US has lost approximately 4,500 brave troops, tens of thousands have been wounded, and we've spent trillions.

'Trump's dangerous escalation brings us closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East that could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars.

'Trump promised to end endless wars, but this action puts us on the path to another one.'

Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intel Committee and one of the 'gang of eight' of Congressional leadership who are usually briefed on sensitive operations, raused concerns over the strike.

Soleimani was responsible for unthinkable violence and world is better off without him,' he tweeted.

'But Congress didn’t authorize and American people don’t want a war with Iran. All steps must now be taken to protect our forces against the almost inevitable escalation and increased risk.'

His counterparts in the Democratic leadership of the House also warned against escalation.

'Tonight's action represents a massive escalation in our conflict with Iran with unpredictable consequence,' said House Foreign Committee Chair Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, in a statement.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, tweeted: 'Soleimani was a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans. But this reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict. Our priority must be to avoid another costly war.'

'Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That's not a question,' said Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, in a statement. 'The question is this - as reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?' Murphy said

House Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Democrat from Minnesota, tweeted: 'So what if Trump wants war, knows this leads to war and needs the distraction? Real question is, will those with congressional authority step in and stop him? I know I will'

'To push ahead with an action of this gravity without involving Congress raises serious legal problems and is an affront to Congress's powers as a coequal branch of government,' Engel said.

'Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That's not a question,' said Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, in a statement.

'The question is this - as reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?' Murphy said.

Andrew Yang was the first of the Democratic presidential candidates to react to the strike, tweeting: 'War with Iran is the last thing we need and is not the will of the American people. We should be acting to deescalate tensions and protect our people in the region.'

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, tweeted: 'Soleimani was a murderer, responsible for the deaths of thousands, including hundreds of Americans. But this reckless move escalates the situation with Iran and increases the likelihood of more deaths and new Middle East conflict. Our priority must be to avoid another costly war.'

House Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Democrat from Minnesota, tweeted: 'So what if Trump wants war, knows this leads to war and needs the distraction?

Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, tweeted that Soleimani 'got what he richly deserved' and that his death was 'justice' for 'all those American soldiers who died by his hand'

Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, tweeted that Soleimani was a 'depraved terrorist' who 'had the blood of hundreds of American servicemen and women on his hands'

'At this time of increase tension in the region, the US must take necessary steps to protect our personnel there and beyond,' the senator from Utah tweeted

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina warned Iran to 'leave America and our allies alone and stop being the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world'

Graham then threatened that Iran would 'pay the heaviest of prices, which includes the destruction of their oil refineries'

'Real question is, will those with congressional authority step in and stop him?

'I know I will.'

Trump's allies rushed to his defense, however, including Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican.

'Soleimani was one of the most ruthless and vicious members of the Ayatollah's regime. He had American blood on his hands,' said Graham in a tweet.

'If Iranian aggression continues and I worked at an Iranian oil refinery, I would think about a new career,' he continued ominously.

Trump' campaign press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in an interview with Fox News that the killing of Soleimani is the 'greatest foreign policy accomplishment, I would say, of the decade, if not our lifetime.'

Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, tweeted that Soleimani 'got what he richly deserved' and that his death was 'justice' for 'all those American soldiers who died by his hand.'

Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, tweeted that Soleimani was a 'depraved terrorist' who 'had the blood of hundreds of American servicemen and women on his hands.'

President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike that killed Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani, the powerful head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at Baghdad International Airport on Friday, the Pentagon confirmed.

The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, which were responsible for the recent attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, officials said.

The audacious airstrike is a potential turning point in the Middle East as the U.S. and Iran teeter on the brink of all-out war, and is expected to draw severe retaliation from Iran and and its regional Shiite allies against Israel and American interests.