Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) demanded Wednesday that President Biden lay out a clear strategy to counter Iran-backed Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, arguing that the U.S.-led bombing campaign against Yemen-based terrorism group could “increase” tensions in the Middle East.
“Every president has inherent authority under Article Two to defend the United States,” Kaine said during an interview with CNN. “And that’s always been understood to mean defending US personnel, US military assets, maybe even US commercial assets. [Biden] no need to ask Congress for permission.”
“But when you commit an offense against a group and if it’s more than just self-defense, and now all of a sudden it’s an escalating back-and-forth — that’s classically when it becomes an offensive and not just a defensive operation,” Senate Armed Services Committee Member adding
Kaine, 65, noted that most ships passing through the Red Sea are “foreign-flagged vessels” and while there may be “good strategic reasons to protect them,” it would not qualify as “rational self-defense under the Constitution.”
Kaine asked President Biden to explain the strategy behind launching the airstrikes in Yemen. CNN Biden admitted earlier this month that the airstrikes did not succeed in stopping the Houthi attack. AP
The Virginia Democrat and three other senators — Todd Young (R-Ind.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) — wrote to Biden, 81, Tuesday raising these concerns and urging the president to get a vote. encouraging from Congress before engaging in offensive military action in Yemen.
“What’s the strategy when we’re trying to deter and degrade but your administration is actually predicting that the Houthis are going to increase the rate, which they are,” Kaine told CNN, referring to a question he asked Biden in the affidavit. .
“What is the strategy? How do we reduce comfort? And what is your legal authority? We need to be briefed on the matter,” he continued. “And I think Congress needs to be brought into it, because the last thing we need to do is slide into another war in the Middle East without really careful consideration and public debate.”
“Everything we see shows that the improvement will continue. And if that’s going to happen, then Congress needs to be brought into this,” Kaine said.
More than 30 separate Houthi attacks have targeted ships in the Red Sea since last November. US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images
The Houthis have launched more than 30 attacks on international and commercial ships in the Red Sea since last November, according to the Pentagon.
On January 11, US and British forces conducted the first in a series of airstrikes targeting Houthi positions in Yemen.
When asked last week if the strikes were working to deter Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, Biden replied, “Well, when you say ‘worked,’ did they stop the Houthis? No.”
The president also vowed to continue airstrikes.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
