Congress votes to end US role; veto likely

The US House of Representatives approved a resolution yesterday to end US support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the war in Yemen, rebuffing President Donald Trump's policy toward the kingdom.

As the resolution had already passed the Senate, where Trump's fellow Republicans have a slim majority, the 247-175 vote in the Democratic-led House sends the measure to the White House, which said last month Trump would issue a veto.

The final tally was not available, but about 15 House Republicans joined Democrats in backing the resolution.

The four-year-long civil war in Yemen, which pits the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran, has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world's most dire humanitarian crisis, with the country on the brink of famine.

Backers of the resolution argued that US involvement in Yemen violated the constitutional requirement that Congress, not the president, should determine when the country goes to war.

Resolution opponents argued that support for the Saudi-led coalition was not an appropriate use of the War Powers Act that limits the president's ability to send troops into action.

Overcoming Trump's veto would require two-thirds majorities in both the Senate and House, more votes than it has garnered in either chamber.

Yemen's war escalated in March 2015, when a Saudi-backed coalition intervened against the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.

Since then, the conflict has killed around 10,000 people -- most of them civilians -- and has left more than 60,000 wounded, according to the World Health Organization.