The House of Representatives rejected a measure from Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., targeting U.S. military involvement in Lebanon.\u00a0
\nTlaib\u2019s measure failed in a bipartisan vote of 189-235 on Tuesday, with 22 Democrats joining nearly all Republicans against it.
\nThe resolution would have specifically barred U.S. forces from engaging in \u201cany hostilities\u201d in the country, despite the U.S. military not joining Israel\u2019s war in Lebanon and conducting few operations there.\u00a0
\nRep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a leading critic of Israel, was among the Republicans who supported the measure.<\/p>\n
DEMOCRATS SPLIT OVER TLAIB\u2019S LEBANON MEASURE AS REPUBLICANS SEIZE ON HEZBOLLAH OMISSION
\nHouse Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., led the majority of Democrats in voting to curtail Trump\u2019s authority to use force in Lebanon absent congressional approval. He previously opposed an earlier war powers resolution pushed by the Squad member.
\nHer measure was a concurrent resolution, which is largely symbolic and not sent to President Donald Trump\u2019s desk for a veto if passed.
\nTlaib, Congress\u2019 sole Palestinian American, is a fierce opponent of Israel and has accused the Jewish state of pursuing \u201cethnic cleansing\u201d in Gaza and Lebanon. Her sharp criticism of Israel\u2019s war in Lebanon has spurred GOP attacks that she is providing cover for Iran-backed Hezbollah.
\nThe resolution did not mention the terrorist group, which has been engaged in a military conflict with Israel since early March around the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
\nTuesday\u2019s vote came after Tlaib previously forced a vote on a more expansive Lebanon war powers resolution earlier this month that critics argued would have required U.S. military personnel protecting embassy staff to leave the country.
\n\u00a0Opponents also charged that the measure would have restricted any assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which is fighting Hezbollah.<\/p>\n
REPORTER\u2019S NOTEBOOK: TLAIB FORCES RARE HOUSE PROCEDURE AFTER REPUBLICAN ACCUSES HER OF DEFENDING TERRORISTS
\nTlaib tailored her second resolution to clarify that it exempted protection of diplomatic personnel and cooperation with Lebanon\u2019s military.
\nRepublicans questioned the timing of the resolution since the U.S. is not at war in Lebanon.
\n\u201cThere are not U.S. combat forces conducting operations or engaged in hostilities in Lebanon,\u201d House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., said during debate on the House floor. \u201cThey are training the Lebanese Armed Forces.
\n\u201cWhy are they training?\u201d Mast continued. \u201cBecause there\u2019s probably at least 40,000 \u2014 probably more \u2014 Hezbollah terrorists spread across the South of Lebanon that are actively engaged in targeting Israel and have been doing so for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., countered that the resolution would keep the United States \u201cout of another forever war that is not in our national interest.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"