WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, on Tuesday released the following statement on the U.S. and coalition airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen and Houthi attacks on U.S. vessels.

“The increasingly frequent Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea are unacceptable. In addition to the physical threat to the ships and their civilian personnel, the Houthis’ attacks undermine the recent progress made on a roadmap towards peace in Yemen, and make it even harder to deliver urgently needed humanitarian aid to both Yemen and Gaza. The U.S. and coalition strikes over the past few days were necessary, and I urge the Administration to intensify their diplomatic efforts to prevent further regional escalation. While I support the Administration’s limited action, I expect to be briefed by the White House in the coming days on the scope of these strikes and the plan ahead. The Administration is legally required to seek congressional authorization for sustained hostilities against Houthi forces under the War Powers Resolution.”

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