House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) recently revealed his intention to draft a bill authorizing the use of U.S. military force in Israel as the Holy Land fights Hamas and Hezbollah.
McCaul pointed out that the official Authorization of Use for Military Force is being drafted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee “in the event it’s necessary,” according to CNN.
The US will prepare to send an army to Israel in case of war with Iran
The US House of Representatives will develop a bill to use the US military in Israel in case the military conflict with Hamas escalates into a larger war with Iran, Michael McCaul, head of the House Foreign…
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 17, 2023
“I hope I never have to mark this bill up. But we have a situation in the Middle East that’s growing day by day with intensity and if Hezbollah gets involved, Iran has already threatened if Gaza is, you know, if Israel goes, you know, if IDF (Israel Defense Forces) goes into Gaza that they’re gonna come out,” he said.
McCaul said that he has already spoken with the Biden administration about the bill, adding that U.S. troops should have the ability to act as they see fit.
“They do not have authorities to hit Hezbollah or Hamas or any of Iran’s proxies, even the Iran-backed militias in Iraq, for instance. So, this is something we are looking at,” he said, according to The Hill.
McCaul told CNN that he has not yet added any countries to the list contained within the bill. The Texas congressman pointed out that potential names to be added include terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Forthcoming names on the list would serve as the targets of the U.S. military.
“I’d prefer not to put Iran as a nation-state in there. It would be more Iran proxies, you know, like Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran-backed Shi’ia militias, but if Iran gets directly involved, then we would have to put them on the list,” he said.
McCaul said that his committee is finding ways to make the legislation widely accepted by Americans.
“I’m currently preparing a draft of that in the event it is called upon and is necessary, but most importantly is supported by the American people,” he said.
McCaul’s announcement comes after 2,000 American troops were deployed in Israel to support the Holy Land in its ongoing war against Hamas and Hezbollah. These troops were told to be ready for a non-combat deployment and were given a readiness status of 96 hours, which has been reduced to 24, the Western Journal reported.
