US senators are divided over whether the Biden administration’s military actions firing missiles into Yemen targeting Houthi militants can be defined as a war.
Over the past week, U.S. and British forces have launched multiple airstrikes on Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on civilian and military ships transiting the Red Sea.
But the U.S. Constitution requires congressional approval for all-out war, muddying the waters over how to define the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The US is “probably not at war at this stage,” Missouri Senator Josh Hawley told DailyMail.com.
‘If there is a military objective here, I would like to hear what it is. But so far we have not heard anything,” he added. “I can’t say what Joe Biden’s position is or what his policies are, I have no idea.”
“If the goal is simply to deter further aggression, then that clearly hasn’t worked,” the Republican continued. “Now Biden says the goal is to reduce their military capabilities and keep the sea lanes open.”
“We should go to our Gulf partners and European allies and say, ‘You need to keep the sea lanes open.’
Houthi rebels in Yemen have been gathering for rallies and parades since the start of the conflict
Senator Richard Blumenthal said the US is not at war with Houthis in Yemen
However, one of his Republican colleagues believes the US is currently at war.
“Yes, I would say it has escalated into a war between us and Yemen,” Senator Tommy Tuberville told DailyMail.com.
‘You should call it a kind of war. It is not a conflict, it is a contest of survival for our ships sailing up and down the Red Sea,” Tuberville continued.
Other senators did not characterize the ongoing conflict as an all-out war.
“We are defending our interests,” said Senator Alex Padilla.
Although, the Californian added, he looks forward to being briefed on Biden’s motivations for taking unilateral action.
“Our attacks on the Houthis to defend ships, our own and other commercial ships, are self-defense within the president’s constitutional prerogative,” Senator Richard Blumenthal told DailyMail.com.
“I see no need for a declaration of war under the constitutional authority of Congress.”
Calling the conflict a war is “semantics,” said Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, adding that he fully supports the strikes.
“Blow them up,” he told DailyMail.com. “They cannot be allowed to attack our assets.”
Another Democrat, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, expressed hesitation about Biden’s decision to bomb the Middle Eastern country.
“I have raised concerns under Obama, under Trump and under Biden about the role of Congress when it comes to the strikes that we have seen in the 10 years that I have been here,” he said.
“I worry about the authority of Congress and the role of Congress because we often continue to justify strikes using long-ago authorizations for military force,” he told DailyMail.com.
“That said, Iran and their allies in that region have done things that have undermined international order, peace and security, and pose a real threat that must be addressed,” Booker said.
Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, a combat veteran, has clearly stated that the US is not at war.
The US Navy has shot down numerous anti-ship missiles since November
The Houthi rebels fired a missile at the USS Carney in the Gulf of Aden on Friday
However, Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville did say that the US is at war in the Middle East
“So far it’s all defensive,” she told DailyMail.com. “So now we have to keep an eye on Iran. They are the ones supporting the Houthis and they must stop attacking our American troops and our bases. It has to stop.’
But when asked what the endpoint of the military fight will be, she admitted: “I don’t know.”
The Houthis have continuously attacked ships in the area since November, saying they are avenging Israel’s war in Gaza against Hamas. However, the rebels have regularly targeted ships with unclear ties to Israel, endangering a crucial global trade route.
On Friday, Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship ballistic missile at the USS Carney, a US Navy destroyer in the Gulf of Aden that US Central Command said has been in the area since November.