Democrats split over Tlaib's Lebanon measure as Republicans seize on Hezbollah omission
Democrats splintered over a resolution seeking to block the U.S. from assisting Israel's war against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group, on Thursday. The measure, offered by progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib,...
By Fox News · Fox News
Democrats splintered over a resolution seeking to block the U.S. from assisting Israel's war against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group, on Thursday. The measure, offered by progressive Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., would require President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Lebanon. For months, Israel and Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group and Iranian proxy, have been at war in southern Lebanon, but the United States has not joined the conflict. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., rejected the measure. Critics argued the resolution could aid Hezbollah and potentially hamstring U.S. military operations in the country. Tlaib's resolution failed 92-324, with more than half of House Democrats joining nearly all Republicans to vote it down. REP RASHIDA TLAIB MOVES TO BLOCK US OPERATIONS IN LEBANON BUT IGNORES HEZBOLLAH Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., an Israel critic, was the lone Republican to support Tlaib's measure. Meanwhile, Reps. Derek Tran, D-Calif., and Betty McCollum, D-Minn., voted present. House Democratic leaders said shortly before the vote they would oppose Tlaib's resolution and work with the progressive lawmaker on a narrower measure exempting some U.S. military operations in the country. Their statement also denounced Hezbollah as a "violent terrorist organization" and a "sworn enemy of the United States." Tlaib, who has accused Israel of committing "ethnic cleansing" in Lebanon, did not mention Hezbollah in her resolution. She and other proponents of the measure also avoided discussing the Iranian proxy force during heated floor debate over the measure. Republicans highlighted the omission and accused the legislation’s supporters of serving as "proxies for Hezbollah." "Apparently they don't want to see Israel killing Hezbollah, even though it's Hezbollah that is killing Israeli children, Israeli adults, Israeli elders," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-…