US lawmaker urges Biden administration to halt arms supplies to Israel amid escalating Lebanon tensions

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib called on the Biden administration Monday to halt arms supplies to Israel amid escalating tensions with Lebanon.

"It’s easier to stop sending the Israel government weapons to conduct its genocidal wars than it is to evacuate every American in Lebanon," Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress, said on X.

Her post followed a State Department update on its travel advisory Saturday, urging US citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon and advising those already in the country to "depart while commercial options are still available" due to rising tensions between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah.

Earlier, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to express his concern for the safety and security of US citizens in the region.

At least 274 people were killed and 1,000 others injured in massive Israeli airstrikes targeting several areas in Lebanon since Monday morning, according to the Health Ministry.

Tension has mounted between Hezbollah and Israel following a deadly airstrike on Friday that killed at least 45 people, including children and women, and injured dozens in Beirut’s southern suburb.

The attack came days after at least 37 people were killed and over 3,000 others injured in two waves of wireless communication device explosions across Lebanon.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.