Congress: 98 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: neutral
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for SJRES 166.
Sponsor: Baker, Howard H., Jr. (R-TN)
Multinational Force in Lebanon Resolution - Authorizes the President, for purposes of the War Powers Resolution, to continue the participation by U.S. armed forces in the Multinational Force in Lebanon, subject to specified conditions. States that such conditions will not preclude such protective measures as are necessary to ensure the safety of such Multinational Force in Lebanon. Requires the President to report to Congress, at least every six months, with respect to the situation in Lebanon. Requires specified information to be included in such reports. Declares the participation of the armed forces of other countries in the Multinational Force in Lebanon to be essential. States Congress' belief that U.S. policy should promote Israeli, Syrian, and Lebanese discussions aimed at the withdrawal of foreign troops from Lebanon and the establishment of conditions that will permit the Lebanese armed forces to carry out their responsibilities in the Beirut area. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should discuss with members of the U.N. Security Council the establishment of a U.N. peacekeeping force to replace the Multinational Force in Lebanon. Requires an analysis of the implications of the response to such discussions to be included in the President's report to Congress. Provides that the continued participation of the U.S. armed forces in the Multinational Force in Lebanon shall be authorized for 18 months, unless the Congress extends it for a longer period. Requires such participation to terminate sooner upon the: (1) withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, unless the President makes a specified certification to the Congress; or (2) assumption by the United Nations or Lebanon of the responsibilities of the Multinational Force in Lebanon; or (3) implementation of other effective security arrangements in the area. Provides that nothing in this resolution shall: (1) preclude the President from withdrawing U.S. armed forces participation in such Multinational Force in Lebanon if circumstances warrant it or Congress from directing such a withdrawal; or (2) modify, limit, or supersede any provision of the War Powers Resolution or a specified part of the Lebanon Emergency Assistance Act of 1983 (relating to congressional authorization for the expansion in the number or role of U.S. armed forces in Lebanon).
Authorizes the President to deploy U.S. armed forces in the Multinational Force in Lebanon for 18 months, subject to congressional oversight. Requires the President to report to Congress every six months on the situation and pursue discussions among Israel, Syria, and Lebanon on withdrawing foreign troops and establishing Lebanese security capacity. The authorization ends automatically if all foreign forces leave Lebanon, the U.N. assumes the mission, or alternative security arrangements take hold, unless the President certifies otherwise.
This resolution places Israel in a framework of regional diplomacy alongside Syria and Lebanon, conditioning continued U.S. military presence in Lebanon on progress toward Israeli withdrawal and broader foreign troop exit. The bill is structured as a neutral Lebanon peacekeeping measure (hence the classification), but it operationalizes U.S. leverage on Israeli military positioning as part of a broader Middle East stability agenda.