Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has asked the US Congress not to interfere with America's role in the war in Yemen, where it is supporting Saudi-led coalition military operations.

The Senate is next week slated to vote on a measure that would curtail US involvement in Yemen's bloody civil war, where the Saudi-supported government is fighting Iranian-backed Huthi rebels.

Some US lawmakers have long expressed concern about the conflict, which has seen high levels of civilian casualties and caused a humanitarian crisis.

The Pentagon has since 2015 provided "non-combat support" to Saudi Arabia, including intelligence sharing and air-to-air refueling for its war planes.

Critics say Riyadh would be unable to conduct much of its campaign without US help.

In a letter to congressional leaders this week, Mattis said that restricting US support to the campaign could lead to additional harm on the ground, because US targeting and intelligence are key to reducing the civil toll.

"New restrictions on this limited US military support could increase civilian casualties, jeopardize cooperation with our partners on counterterrorism, and reduce our influence with the Saudis -- all of which would further exacerbate the situation and humanitarian crisis," Mattis wrote.

Speaking to reporters accompanying him back to Washington after a visit to the Middle East, Mattis said Thursday he sees the current path as helping push the Yemen crisis to a UN-brokered peace deal.

"We need to get this to a negotiated settlement and we believe the policy right now is correct, and that was the gist of my letter," Mattis said.

He wrote that withdrawing US support to the Saudi-led coalition would have knock-on effects resulting in deeper Iranian involvement in the war.

It would enable "further ballistic missile strikes on Saudi Arabia and (threaten) vital shipping lanes, thereby raising the risk of a regional conflict," Mattis stated.

A bipartisan group of senators including Bernie Sanders is pushing for the Senate vote, which could come just as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is visiting Washington.

Related Links
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Tillerson ouster bullish for oil, analysts say
Washington (UPI) Mar 14, 2018
The departure of Rex Tillerson as the top U.S. diplomat could end the Iranian nuclear deal and send oil prices sharply higher as a result, analysis finds. U.S. President Donald Trump unceremoniously dumped Tillerson using a statement Tuesday on Twitter. Tillerson, the former head of Exxon Mobil, was among the voices encouraging Trump to stick with an agreement that gives Iran relief from sanctions pressure in exchange for commitments to draw down its nuclear research program. The Trump a ... read more