The US Senate wants to end the military support of Saudi Arabia by the United States. The Republican-led US Senate has approved a resolution that would put an end to US support for the Riyadh-led coalition in the Yemen war.
Previously, the House of Representatives had already called for the cessation of any military support for the Saudi Arabian-led coalition in Yemen within 30 days. But it was dependent on a corresponding draft in the Senate.
The Senate, controlled by Trump’s Republicans, passed a similar bill at the end of last year with the votes of both parties. Since a new legislative period began in January, the Senate had to vote again. With 54 to 46 votes, he now voted for the resolution.
Donald Trump can veto
A vote of the House of Representatives is still pending. Even with the approval of both Congress chambers, US President Donald Trump can veto the resolution.
The Saudi Arabia-led military coalition supports the Sunni government in Yemen, which is fighting against the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi militias. The United Nations estimates the number of civilian casualties in the ongoing since 2014 civil war to about 10,000 people. Saudi Arabia is accused of not paying enough attention to the protection of civilians in the military attacks. The US, for example, is assisting the coalition with intelligence information for identifying target data for bombing and refueling aircraft in the air.
Trump has made it clear in the past that he does not want to move away from the ally Saudi Arabia. Following the assassination of Saudi Arabian government critic Jamal Khashoggi at the Consulate in Istanbul, the Republicans criticized this approach. A special detachment from Riyadh had killed the journalist. Trump and his government had clearly put themselves in the debate behind the Saudi leadership and the heir to the throne – which had met with criticism and incomprehension.
