He said the AUMF would apply to Hamas, Hezbollah, Shia militias in the region, and Iran if it enters the war
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN on Monday that he was drawing up an authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups in the region if the Gaza war escalates.
“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,” McCaul said.
When asked if the White House requested the authorization, McCaul wouldn’t say. “I don’t want to confirm that. It’s just that there is concern that — we, I’m currently, we’re currently drafting one in the event it’s necessary,” he said.
McCaul said the AUMF he’s working on would apply to Iran as well if Tehran enters the fighting. “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 Shia militias, but if Iran gets directly involved, then we would have to put them on the list,” he said.
The US has deployed a huge amount of firepower near Israel, including two aircraft carrier strike groups. The Biden administration has said the purpose of the deployments is to “deter” regional actors from entering the war, implying that the US would directly enter the conflict if Hezbollah launched a significant attack on Israel.