US airstrikes on Yemen: Here’s what Arizona’s members of Congress are saying

The U.S. and U.K. airstrikes on more than a dozen sites in Yemen used by the Iranian-backed Houthis have split Arizona’s congressional delegation. 

More than 60 targets at 16 sites in Yemen were hit Thursday by U.S. airstrikes, which President Joe Biden said were meant to show the Houthis that the group’s attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea wouldn’t be tolerated by the United States and its allies. 

The strikes killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said. 

Since November, the Houthis have targeted ships in the Red Sea in what they say is a response to Israel’s bombardments of Gaza against Hamas. However, the targets have frequently been ships and vessels with no clear links to Israel. The attacks have blocked shipping in the Red Sea, which is a key route for global trade and energy shipments. 

The response from Arizona’s congressional delegation to the U.S. and U.K. airstrikes has been mixed. 

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., spoke out on X, formally known as Twitter, in support of the airstrikes. 

Kelly called the U.S. military’s actions “necessary.” Additionally, he called the group an “Iranian proxy group” and said that their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea “endanger U.S. personnel and our allies and have global implications.” 

Kelly also spoke on CNN on Friday to continue to defend the president’s actions. In addition to saying that he hopes the Houthis “get the message,” he spoke about his recent trip to the Middle East and the regional turmoil.

Gallego echoed Kelly’s comments as he also cited the military’s actions as “necessary.” 

“The U.S. has dealt with this aggression for far too long, and it is in our nation’s interests to maintain the free flow of commerce,” Gallego said. “Terrorism has no safe harbor anywhere.” 

Middle East turmoil: Sen. Mark Kelly concerned about civilian deaths and unguided munitions in Israel-Hamas war

Others expressed concern about increasing tensions in the Middle East and potentially even war. On Friday, in response to the airstrikes, Yemen’s Houthi rebels vowed retaliation. With Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, the airstrikes have led to increased concern about a wider conflict in the region. 

Yemen, where the Houthis are based, is at the southern end of the Red Sea. Israel is at the northern tip of the sea in the Middle East. Jordan and Saudi Arabia separate the two countries. 

US, UK strike Houthi in Yemen

The U.S. and British militaries have bombed more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

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Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., condemned Biden’s actions in Yemen on X, saying that the airstrikes “blatantly violate Article 1 of our Constitution.” That section of the Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. 

“He can’t unilaterally pull us into another war,” Biggs said. “Why does he want so many wars?”

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., has yet to release an official statement and his office didn’t respond to a request for comment. But he boosted the statements of other congressional colleagues who expressed concern on X about the airstrikes.

Grijalva reposted a message from Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., that called for the White House to work with Congress before “continuing these airstrikes in Yemen.”

In reference to Congress’ power to declare war, Pocan said, “The United States cannot risk getting entangled into another decades-long conflict without Congressional authorization.” 

Similarly, Grijalva shared a post from Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., who called for a cease-fire “to prevent deadly, costly, catastrophic escalation of violence in the region.” 

In terms of gaining congressional approval that many have suggested was necessary, Kelly told CNN that he didn’t “agree with his colleagues” that approval from Congress was needed. 

“We had U.S. personnel that were at risk and our allies were at risk as well,” Kelly said Friday. 

The rest of Arizona’s congressional delegation has not spoken publicly on the U.S. airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. 

More about the escalation: A visual guide to the retaliatory US airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen

Reach reporter Morgan Fischer at morgan.fischer@gannett.com or on X, formally known as Twitter, @morgfisch.