House Foreign Affairs Chairman Says He's Drafting Bill to Allow US Military Force in Israel
Even as 2,000 non-combat troops are told to be ready to deploy to the Middle East, a top House Republican says that his committee is beginning the process of authorizing military force in the Middle East if future events in the Israel-Hamas war determine America needs to act.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said that the official Authorization of Use for Military Force is being drafted by the panel “in the event it’s necessary,” according to CNN.
“I hope I never have to mark this bill up. But we have a situation in the Middle East that’s growing day by day with intensity and if Hezbollah gets involved, Iran has already threatened if Gaza is, you know, if Israel goes, you know, if IDF (Israel Defense Forces) goes into Gaza that they’re gonna come out,” he said.
McCaul said he had “been in contact” with the White House about the draft document.
He said troops need the freedom to act as necessary.
“They do not have authorities to hit Hezbollah or Hamas or any of Iran’s proxies, even the Iran-backed militias in Iraq, for instance. So, this is something we are looking at,” he said, according to The Hill.
McCaul told CNN that he has not named names in the document as of yet.
“I’d prefer not to put Iran as a nation-state in there. It would be more Iran proxies, you know, like Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran-backed Shi’ia militias, but if Iran gets directly involved, then we would have to put them on the list,” he said.
McCaul indicated that any use of force needs popular support.
“I’m currently preparing a draft of that in the event it is called upon and is necessary, but most importantly is supported by the American people,” he said.
As it is, about 2,000 U.S. troops have been told to be ready for a non-combat deployment that could lead to support for Israel, according to NBC. It cited a Pentagon official it did not name.
The troops covered by the order had been at a readiness status of needing 96 hours to deploy. That has been cut to 24 hours.
2,000 US troops on notice to deploy as Israel-Hamas war intensifies https://t.co/z30Tvu9vK6
— Air Force Times (@AirForceTimes) October 17, 2023
The troops that were notified are currently in either the United States or Europe, a Pentagon official said, according to The New York Times.
Retired Maj. Gen. James Marks, a military analyst for CNN, said the deployment of non-combat forces would be likely to include assistance with the logistics of supplies, such as food, fuel, and construction materials
He said a joint munitions unit to ensure ammunition gets where it needs to go is also a possibility.
The U.S. has the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and is sending the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group to join it.
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