Senator Collins’ Statement on U.S. Military Strike on Houthi Targets in Yemen

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement on U.S. military operations in Yemen:

“Iran and its proxies must understand that repeated attacks on U.S. troops and the disruption of critical sea lanes will not be tolerated.  The military strikes taken tonight by the Administration in conjunction with coalition partners is an overdue response to Iranian-backed proxies that have targeted U.S. military personnel, bases, and ships more than 120 times since October, resulting in a gravely injured service member.  In addition, the Houthi terrorists have launched dozens of attacks on commercial, non-military ships of multiple countries.

“The United States does not seek an escalation of violence in the region, but we must deter attacks on our troops, and the freedom of navigation that is essential for global trade must be restored.”

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