Andy Kim

The reports come as Trump has fluctuated between declaring the U.S.-Israel war with Iran essentially over and threatening to escalate the conflict to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on. Already nearly 5,000 Marines and roughly 2,000 members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division have been deployed to the region.

“This is not an end to this war, this is something that will only prolong it and increase the risk at a time that we’ve seen already so many service members put at harm’s way, and this administration not giving them everything that they need,” Kim said.

Kim, a former State Department officer who was embedded with the military in Afghanistan, pointed out that many losses American troops endured in Iraq and Afghanistan were the result of improvised explosive devices from Iranian-backed militia groups.

“It wasn’t just the ballistic missiles that was the threat,” Kim said, adding that the amount of preparation and supplies needed ahead of such a mission would also be significant.

“Where are they going to bunker down? Where are they going to get provisions?” he asked. “Putting them in that kind of way is so risky.”

Kim isn’t the only lawmaker to voice concerns about sending troops to the region. Some Republicans have also balked at the idea, as have some of Trump’s most ardent supporters around the country.

House Democrats are planning to force another vote mid-April on a resolution to restrict U.S. military action in Iran. Previous votes have failed.