BEIRUT (AP) 鈥� A group of Democratic U.S. senators have called for the U.S. Central Command to answer questions about American coordination with Israel in declaring broad 鈥� 鈥� in Lebanon and Iran, alleging that the practice may violate international law.
The letter underlines how the Democratic Party 鈥� both its leaders and the base 鈥� has grown increasingly critical of Israel.
Since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and the latest in Lebanon, the Israeli military has regularly issued maps covering large areas of territory along with warnings telling all residents of the zones to flee. Israel had previously used a similar approach in Gaza.
The senators said the sweeping warnings have 鈥渂een used to permanently displace people and destroy homes and towns鈥� and that some civilians who refused to leave their homes in the areas have been killed by subsequent strikes.
The 12 senators led by Vermont Sen. Peter Welch, in a letter dated May 4 to CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper that was provided to The Associated Press, state that Israel鈥檚 practice of unilaterally declaring mass evacuation warnings in Lebanon and Iran 鈥渓ikely contravene international laws the United States has helped develop around humane warfare.鈥�
The other signatories include senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.
The letter asked the CENTCOM chief whether U.S. forces have coordinated military targets with Israeli forces during the recent war with Iran, whether they provided assistance or intelligence helping Israel鈥檚 military to impose the evacuation zones in Lebanon and Iran, and whether CENTCOM signed off on U.S. military support for the targeting of people or infrastructure in the evacuation zones. It also asked whether the U.S. military has reviewed the legality of the practice.
The Israeli military declined to comment when asked about the letter. CENTCOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the past, Israel has said the evacuation maps aim to keep civilians out of harm鈥檚 way. It says Hezbollah has positioned fighters, tunnels and weapons in civilian areas across southern Lebanon, from which it has launched hundreds of drones and missiles 鈥� without warning 鈥� into northern Israel.
International law experts say Israel鈥檚 warnings are inconsistent and often overly broad and open-ended. In Lebanon, residents say the warnings sometimes come with short notice or in the middle of the night, causing chaos and confusion, while in some cases, the warnings prompt evacuations but are never followed by a strike. In other cases, strikes in residential areas come with no warning.
A shift in the party stance
Observers said the move is part of a larger shift in the stance of Democratic Party leaders on U.S. military assistance to Israel. Democrats have also been critical of the Trump administration’s entry into the war on Iran alongside Israel.
The letter came nearly three weeks after more than three dozen Democrats supported an effort by Sanders signaling a growing discontent in the party with and the wars in Gaza and Iran.
The two resolutions to block U.S. sales of bulldozers and bombs to Israel were opposed by all Republicans and rejected 40-59 and 36-63.
Jon Finer, former deputy national security adviser under President Joe Biden, said the recent steps by Democratic senators reflect a 鈥済rowing concern about Israeli conduct of various wars that cause civilian harm and U.S. complicity in that” across the spectrum within the Democratic Party.
Asked why the Democratic Party is taking these steps now and not at the time when and the Israel-Hezbollah war broke out 鈥� when the Democratic Biden administration was in power 鈥� Finer said: 鈥渙ur operational integration with Israel appears to be growing, which is part of it, but the truth is the Democratic base has been moving in this direction for some time and Washington has been catching up.鈥�
Andrew Miller, a former senior official on Israel and Palestinian Affairs at the State Department, said the letter 鈥渞epresents a shift among congressional Democrats moving from questions of the legality of Israeli military operations to concerns about the complicity of the U.S. military.鈥�
鈥淚t demonstrates that Democrats are taking international law very seriously and that is a welcome development,鈥� Miller said.
The evacuation zones
Israel has issued dozens of evacuation warnings in Lebanon since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2. Over in Lebanon have fled their homes during the war.
Israel has also issued similar warnings for Iranians, both during the 12-day Israel-Iran war last year and during the U.S.-Israeli war launched on Iran on Feb. 28. In one case last year they warned , Iran’s capital, to evacuate.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military鈥檚 Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation warning to residents of 12 villages in southern Lebanon saying Hezbollah is using them to launch attacks. The warnings came despite that has been nominally in place since April 17, although Israel and have been carrying daily attacks since then.
The senators said the declaration of evacuation zones does not absolve Israeli and U.S. forces 鈥渇rom the absolute legal responsibility to determine that each individual person or civilian facility targeted by drones, jets, and gunfire is, in fact, a military target.鈥� It said the use of the zones has been linked to 鈥渢he deaths of thousands of civilians,” describing them as 鈥渒ill zones.鈥�
In response to questions by the AP last month, the Israeli military said it issues warnings by phone, text, radio broadcast, social media and leaflets dropped from the air, in accordance with the 鈥減rinciples of distinction, proportionality and feasible precautions鈥� under international law.
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Associated Press writer Julia Frankel contributed to this report from Jerusalem.
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