From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Group of Democratic senators claims Israeli mass evacuation orders for civilians in Iran and Lebanon may violate int’l law
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A group of Democratic US senators have called for the US Central Command to answer questions about American coordination with Israel in declaring broad “ evacuation zones” in Lebanon and Iran, claiming the practice may violate international law.
The letter underlines how the Democratic Party — both its leaders and the base — has increasingly turned against Israel.
Since the beginning of the US-Israel war against Iran and the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, the Israel Defense Forces has regularly issued maps covering large areas of territory along with warnings telling all residents of the zones to flee. Israel had previously used a similar approach in Gaza, with the evacuation warnings aimed at minimizing civilian casualties amid strikes on military targets.
The senators allege the sweeping warnings have “been used to permanently displace people and destroy homes and towns” and that some civilians who refused to leave their homes in the areas have been killed by subsequent strikes.
The 12 senators led by Vermont Senator Peter Welch, in a letter dated May 4 to CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper, state that Israel’s practice of unilaterally declaring mass evacuation warnings in Lebanon and Iran “likely contravene international laws the United States has helped develop around humane warfare.”
The other signatories include senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin.
The letter asks the CENTCOM chief whether US forces have coordinated military targets with Israeli forces during the recent war with Iran, whether they provided assistance or intelligence helping Israel’s military to impose the evacuation zones in Lebanon and Iran, and whether CENTCOM signed off on US military support for the targeting of people or infrastructure in the evacuation zones. It also asks whether the US military has reviewed the legality of the practice.
The Israeli military declines to comment when asked about the letter. CENTCOM doesn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Times of Israel Community.