House defeats Tlaib war powers resolution on Lebanon

The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a war powers resolution aimed at ending U.S. military involvement in hostilities in Lebanon. The measure, introduced by Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, failed by a vote of 189 to 235, with nearly all Republicans and 22 Democrats voting against it.

This was the second such resolution Tlaib has brought to the floor this month. An earlier, broader version failed after Democratic leaders declined to support it, arguing it was poorly drafted and could have forced the withdrawal of U.S. personnel protecting diplomatic facilities and ended security cooperation with Lebanon's military. The revised resolution sought to address those concerns by explicitly exempting continued security cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces and the protection of U.S. diplomatic facilities from its directive to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities in Lebanon.

During floor debate on Monday, Tlaib argued the United States is already engaged in unauthorized hostilities by providing intelligence, targeting assistance, and logistical support to Israel for its operations against Hezbollah. She accused Israel of pursuing "ethnic...