U.S. SENATE News:
U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and nine Senate Democrats in requesting answers from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding Israel’s practice of unilaterally declared mass evacuation orders in Lebanon and Iran, which likely contravene international law, in light of assertions from Israeli officials that American and Israeli forces are coordinating on military targeting actions in the current conflict in the Middle East.
The letter comes ahead of congressional testimony by CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.
“The Israeli practice of military exclusion or evacuation zones in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran presents major risks of violating international law and has been linked to the deaths of thousands of civilians. The declaration of military evacuation zones has been used to permanently displace people and destroy homes and towns—acts that are in violation of international law,” wrote the Senators. “Furthermore, no declaration of evacuation zones or ‘kill zones’ absolves Israeli and U.S. forces from the absolute legal responsibility to determine that each individual person or civilian facility targeted by drones, jets, and gunfire is, in fact, a military target.
The Senators highlighted how in Southern Lebanon, hundreds of civilians have already been killed in areas under Israeli evacuation orders: “For example, Father Pierre al-Rahi, a leader in the Christian village of Qlayaa, was killed by Israeli tank fire just days after he announced the people of the village would not leave their homes. Across Lebanon, more than a million people—at least a sixth of the population—have been forced to flee their homes under mass evacuation and bombing threats. The Israeli Defense Minister has ordered his forces to destroy the homes of hundreds of Lebanese communities and hinted at a long-term or permanent displacement of up to a million people.”
The Senators requested answers to the following questions by May 20, 2026:
- Do U.S. forces under your command coordinate military targets with Israeli forces as part of Operation Epic Fury?
- Have forces under your command provided refueling services, intelligence, or other assistance for Israeli imposition of evacuation zones in Lebanon and/or Iran?
- Have you received any intelligence assessments or analyses on the military utility of Israel’s mass evacuation zones in Lebanon and/or Iran?
- Have you signed off on U.S. military support to the establishment, enforcement, or targeting of any persons or infrastructure in evacuation zones?
- Have any personnel under your command raised any concerns or provided any legal analysis on Israeli unilateral designation of evacuation zones or targeting decisions in such zones to you, anyone in your chain of command, the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, CENTCOM or DOD’s Office of Inspector General, or DOD’s Office of the General Counsel? If so, provide a copy of any such reports or communications to the Judiciary, Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations/Affairs committees.
- Have any personnel under your command shared intelligence with the Israeli government that could be used to support the creation, enforcement, or targeting of evacuation zones in Lebanon and/or Iran? Has anyone under your command analyzed whether such sharing would violate the terms of any intelligence sharing agreements with regards to the use of any U.S.-provided intelligence in operations that might violate international law, U.S. law, and the laws of armed conflict?
In addition to Heinrich, Luján, and Welch, the letter is signed by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
Read and download the Senators’ full letter to U.S. Admiral Cooper.