President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE has given the green light for an expanded military operation to secure expansive oil fields in eastern Syria, according to U.S. officials, The Associated Press reported.

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Sources close to the situation told the AP that the decision came after Trump met with his defense advisers. The new plan would have hundreds of U.S. troops protect a stretch of nearly 90 miles from Deir el-Zour to al-Hassakeh that is currently controlled by Kurdish forces.

Trump's plan raises the legal question of whether American forces would be able to attack Syrian or Russian forces if they threatened the security of the oil.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.