Tag: Yemen

Biden announces end to US support for offensive operations in Yemen

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President Biden on Thursday announced an end to U.S. support for offensive operations in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen.

“This war has to end,” Biden said during an address at the State Department. “And to underscore our commitment, we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales.”

Biden also confirmed he has appointed veteran diplomat Timothy Lenderking as his special envoy to Yemen, saying Lenderking will work with the United Nations and “all parties to the conflict to push for a diplomatic resolution.” Continue reading.

On the day U.S. forces killed Soleimani, they targeted a senior Iranian official in Yemen

Washington Post logoOn the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top-secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials.

The strike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and key commander in Iran’s elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result in his death, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The unsuccessful operation may indicate that the Trump administration’s killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani last week was part of a broader operation than previously explained, raising questions about whether the mission was designed to cripple the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or solely to prevent an imminent attack on Americans as originally stated.

Senate votes to end U.S. military support for Saudi-led war in Yemen

The Senate voted on Wednesday 54-46 to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, likely setting up the first veto of President Trump’s presidency.

Why it matters: The bill is a rebuke of Trump’s foreign policy amid broader pushback over his defense of Saudi Arabia, whose role in the conflict has been under heightened scrutiny since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The war waged by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has resulted in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 80% of the population in need of some sort of aid or protection.

Details: The bill, co-sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), leans on the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which states that if American troops are entangled in “hostilities” overseas “without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be revoked by the President if the Congress so directs by concurrent resolution.”

View the complete March 13 article by Gigi Sukin on the Axios website here.

Senate Gears Up for Unpredictable Debate on Saudi Arabia and Yemen

Sen. Christopher urphy, D-CT., is among the chief advocates for the Yemen resolution. Credit: Tom Williams, CQ Roll Call file photo

CIA Director briefed key senators on Khashoggi killing Tuesday

The Senate is gearing up for a potentially unwieldy debate over U.S. policy regarding Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and a Tuesday briefing for key senators from the CIA chief did nothing to thwart that.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker told Roll Call Tuesday afternoon that interested parties would be meeting on Wednesday to try to find an agreement on handling the contentious Yemen resolution.

The Tennessee Republican said that with the schedule changes necessitated by the funeral of President George H.W. Bush, floor debate would most likely come up on Monday, Dec. 10.