A group of US Democratic politicians condemned Israel’s escalation in attacks on Lebanon, stressing that this escalation risks disrupting the ceasefire between the US and Iran and reigniting regional war.
Some US lawmakers also called on President Donald Trump to rein in ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday after Israel dropped hundreds of bombs across Lebanon, killing at least 254 people.
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“Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to escalate the war, kill civilians, and put the United States at risk of a broader regional war,” Rep. Dave Minn wrote on social media platform X.
“It’s clear that his interests are not aligned with ours. We have to stand up and say enough is enough.”
The statement, which came from centrists as well as progressive Democrats, signals domestic pressure on President Trump to end the war against Iran and related fighting across the Middle East, following a two-week cease-fire announced on Tuesday.
Pakistan, which brokered the ceasefire and is expected to host talks between U.S. and Iranian officials, has made it clear that the ceasefire also applies to Lebanon.
But Israel denied that explanation and launched its deadliest attack on Lebanon less than 24 hours after the deal was signed.
Progressive Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley warned that the war will “never end” if President Trump allows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue bombing Lebanon.
“To preserve the ceasefire, the United States must act to stop war crimes in Lebanon,” Pressley said in a social media post.
President Trump says Lebanon is not included
Michigan Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell, who represents the large Lebanese community, said Lebanon must be included in the truce for it to become permanent.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu helped lead us into war, but he cannot keep us in war,” Dingell wrote to X.
Several Iranian officials have also stressed that a ceasefire may not be possible if Israel continues to attack Lebanon. As a justification, they pointed to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s explanation of Tuesday’s ceasefire, specifically mentioning his country.
“With the utmost humility, I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States of America, and their allies have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere, including in Lebanon and the rest of the world, with immediate effect,” Sharif said.
But President Trump and several aides denied Wednesday that Lebanon is part of the deal.
Vice President J.D. Vance suggested that a “legitimate misunderstanding” may have led Iran to believe Lebanon was included in the ceasefire.
“If Iran wants to break down this negotiation over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with Iran and which the United States has never said is part of the ceasefire, that is ultimately their choice in a conflict where Iran is suffering,” Vance said Wednesday.
“We think it’s ridiculous, but it’s their choice.”
Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee slammed Vance’s comments, saying such misunderstandings are a sign of “incompetence” during high-stakes negotiations.
Representative Yassamine Ansari called on Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance to put pressure on Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon.
“Lebanon must join this fragile ceasefire,” she wrote.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s horrific bombings and killings of hundreds of civilians in Beirut and elsewhere must end immediately.”
Trave’s determination
Another lawmaker, Rashida Tlaib, gestured to a resolution she introduced last month that would ban U.S. involvement in Israel’s attack on Lebanon. She reiterated her call to her colleagues to support this bill.
“Yesterday, I introduced a resolution that would end U.S. funding for these war crimes, not waiting for Israel’s genocidal regime to kill more than 250 people in Lebanon,” the Democrat wrote online.
“So to all my colleagues who are speaking out now, welcome. Don’t just tweet, please support the War Powers Resolution to save lives.”
Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a moderate Michigan Democrat who usually supports Israel, expressed solidarity with Lebanese-American voters following what she called “significant Israeli airstrikes and civilian casualties.”
“For a ceasefire to be successful, it must cover the full scope of the regional conflict, including Lebanon,” Slotkin wrote in X.
“U.S. negotiators should help prevent further loss of civilian life by talking to all parties and being transparent about the deals on the table and how to reasonably end the war.”
But Republican Rep. Randy Fine, a Trump ally who has long made Islamophobic comments, defended the Israeli attack as separate from the Iran war.
“The president has made it clear that the ceasefire with Iran does not include Hezbollah,” Fine told TV station Newsmax.
“Israel is not attacking Lebanon. Israel is attacking Hezbollah.”
Wednesday’s attacks in Lebanon targeted populated areas, shops, ambulances and at least one funeral.
The conflict in Lebanon has escalated since the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28, and at least 1,497 people have been killed in Lebanon since early March.
