(RepublicanReport.org) – In December 2023, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III announced the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian to address the “escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen.” The group consisted of several countries pulling together to ensure security in the Red Sea, allowing “the free flow” of traffic in the international space. Recent Houthi attacks caused the operation forces to take action.
On January 11, President Joe Biden announced a joint defensive attack by the US and the United Kingdom against several targets in Yemen. The president said the spots were used by Houthi rebels, a group “endanger[ing] the freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea. Biden said the strikes had the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands. According to Newsmax, several Democrats were furious about the military action, with some calling it unconstitutional.
Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said the strikes did not have authorization from Congress and were an “unacceptable violation” of Article 1. Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA), Val Hoyle (D-OR), and Cori Bush (D-MO) agreed with their colleague. The California lawmaker claimed the strikes were “retaliatory” and “offensive,” while the Missouri legislator called the airstrikes downright “illegal.”
However, the president said the strikes were a “defensive action” in response to continued and “escalating attacks against commercial vessels” in international water. Biden said the US and its allies and partners recently warned Houthi rebels about impending “consequences if their attacks did not cease” — they didn’t. Article 2 of the Constitution allows the commander-in-chief to launch defensive action in certain circumstances.
According to The Guardian, over 60 targets were hit across 16 locations in Yemen using various types of airstrikes. The Houthis, a Yemeni militia group, said five fighters were killed and vowed revenge. The next day, USA Today reported that the US Navy fired Tomahawk land attack missiles to take out a radar site in Yemen used by the Houthi group to target commercial and navy ships in the Red Sea.
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