BEIRUT — Twelve U.S. Senate Democrats led by Vermont Sen. Peter Welch sent a letter dated May 4 to U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper requesting answers about American coordination with Israel in declaring broad evacuation zones in Lebanon and Iran. The letter alleges the practice may violate international laws the United States helped develop around humane warfare.
The letter asked 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 impose evacuation zones in Lebanon and Iran, and whether CENTCOM signed off on U.S. military support for the targeting of people or infrastructure in those zones. The senators also asked whether the U.S. military has reviewed the legality of the evacuation-zone practice.
The senators said the evacuation warnings have been used to permanently displace people and destroy homes and towns, and that some civilians who refused to leave have been killed by subsequent strikes. They said the declaration of evacuation zones does not absolve Israeli and U.S. forces from the legal responsibility to determine that each individual person or civilian facility targeted by drones, jets and gunfire is a military target. They described the zones as kill zones and said their use has been linked to the deaths of thousands of civilians.
Other signatories included Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin. More than three dozen Democrats supported an effort by Sanders to block arms sales to Israel. Two resolutions to block U.S. sales of bulldozers and bombs to Israel were opposed by all Republicans and rejected by votes of 40-59 and 36-63.
"The recent steps by Democratic senators reflect a growing concern about Israeli conduct of various wars that cause civilian harm and U.S. complicity in that across the spectrum within the Democratic Party," said Jon Finer, former deputy national security adviser under President Joe Biden. "Our 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," he said.
Andrew Miller, former senior official on Israel and Palestinian Affairs at the State Department, said the letter marks a shift in focus. "The letter represents 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," Miller said. "It demonstrates that Democrats are taking international law very seriously and that is a welcome development," he added.
Israel has issued dozens of evacuation warnings in Lebanon since the latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on March 2, and more than one million people in Lebanon have fled their homes during the war. Israel issued similar warnings for Iranians during the 12-day Israel-Iran war last year and during the U.S.-Israeli war launched on Feb. 28. Last year, Israel warned 300,000 people in Tehran to evacuate. A ceasefire has been nominally in place since April 17, although Israel and Hezbollah have been carrying out daily attacks since then.
The Israeli military declined to comment on the letter. CENTCOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 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 principles of distinction, proportionality and feasible precautions under international law.