House OKs measure to bar aid for Saudi's Yemen campaign

The House of Representatives approved an amendment to the annual defence spending bill Thursday to halt US support for Saudi Arabia-led military operations in Yemen, Anadolu reports.

Momentum has been growing on Capitol Hill to end support for the military campaign, which has resulted in thousands of civilian casualties and exacerbated a humanitarian crisis in what was the Arab world’s poorest nation even prior to the offensive.

It passed in a 240-185 vote with strong Democratic support but opposition from Republicans, who warned against curtailing President Donald Trump’s ability to fight militant groups in the region.

Read: Saudi Arabia moves to secure Yemen Red Sea ports after UAE drawdown

“By continuing to conduct intelligence sharing, the US has been a co-belligerent in the world’s largest humanitarian crisis,” Congressman Ro Khanna, a vocal critic of the war in Yemen and key sponsor of the amendment, said in a statement.

“The US cannot be an effective broker for peace if it continues to arm and militarily support one side of the conflict. This is how we democratize America’s foreign policy and reassert Congress’ role in matters of war and peace,” he added.

The House is likely to vote Friday on a separate amendment offered by Khanna that would prohibit Trump from attacking Iran without prior congressional approval. It would not bar Trump from striking in retaliation for an Iranian attack, however.

The Senate approved its version of the defence spending bill last month without similar language on Iran and Yemen, setting up a likely conference session to remedy the differences after the House passes its version.