CODEPINK Statement Regarding U.S. Escalation in The Middle East

CODEPINK News

The U.S. must immediately cease its dangerous military escalations in the Middle East. On Monday, the Pentagon announced the deployment of more troops to the region amidst Israel's latest acts of terrorism against Lebanon. This addition to the already 40,000 American troops stationed in the area—including over a dozen warships and thousands of Marines in the Mediterranean—marks significant escalation.

It is a clear signal that the U.S. is prepared to fuel further violence, backing Israel's brutal assault on Lebanon as well as the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Israel's attacks on Lebanon have already claimed the lives of 492 civilians, including 35 children. One of those innocent victims was Fatima Qassem, a young girl from the village of Kfar Melki. Over 1,645 others have been wounded in the indiscriminate acts of terrorism and bombing.

The people living in Lebanon, Gaza, and the rest of the Middle East do not need more weapons, more warships, or more American troops—they need an end to the senseless bloodshed perpetrated by Israel.

President Biden himself warned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu just weeks ago that the U.S. would not support further escalations. Yet now, his administration is taking steps that directly contradict that stance by sending more troops to the Middle East. This dangerous hypocrisy only deepens the cycle of violence, destabilizing the region further.

What the world needs is peace—not the looming threat of U.S. military force. It needs an immediate end to Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, its illegal occupation of Palestine, and its terrorist attacks on Lebanon. The people of the region deserve justice, not more war. We call for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the Middle East and an end to U.S. complicity in these war crimes. It is time the United States starts standing for peace, not perpetuating violence.

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