The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted down a second effort by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to direct U.S. military operations in Lebanon, rejecting the measure by a vote of 235-189 as negotiations involving Israel, Lebanon, and Iran continue.

The resolution, H.Con.Res. 108, invoked Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution and sought to require the president to withdraw U.S. armed forces “from any hostilities in Lebanon” within seven days. The proposal, however, preserved ongoing security assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces and allowed continued protection of U.S. diplomatic facilities.

Tlaib’s first attempt to pass similar legislation, H.Con.Res. 84, was overwhelmingly defeated on June 4 by a vote of 324-92. Democratic leaders opposed that version, arguing its broader requirement to remove U.S. forces “from Lebanon” could inadvertently force the withdrawal of American troops assigned to protect the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

The revised resolution won the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks of New York. Even so, 22 Democrats voted against the measure, while two Republicans broke with their party to support it.

Speaking to fellow lawmakers on Monday, Tlaib argued that the legislation was intended to halt American involvement in Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon.

She said the vote was about “immediately ending all U.S. participation in the Israeli government’s violent assault against the people of Lebanon,” accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing and territory expansion” through its bombing campaign in the south.

Meeks defended the updated resolution, saying it addressed the concerns that doomed the earlier proposal and would help prevent the United States from becoming entangled in another prolonged conflict. He also said that, to his knowledge, American forces are not currently participating in combat alongside Israeli troops in Lebanon.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., sharply criticized the measure, arguing that it would undermine efforts to achieve peace by benefiting Hezbollah.

Calling the resolution “a win for terrorists,” Mast said it protected the one group continuing to obstruct a diplomatic resolution.

“Hezbollah is the one holdout that is standing in the way of peace between Israel and Lebanon,” Mast said. “The Lebanese government wants the fighting to stop. Israel wants the fighting to stop.”

The vote came amid intensified diplomatic efforts following last week’s agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which links an Israeli military withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament. The Iran-backed terrorist organization has thus far rejected that condition. At the same time, Iran and Hezbollah have insisted that a complete Israeli withdrawal is a prerequisite for finalizing the broader U.S.-Iran framework aimed at ending the conflict.

Because H.Con.Res. 108 is a concurrent resolution, it is nonbinding and would not have required President Trump’s signature even if it had been approved by Congress.

{Matzav.com}