Yemeni knot

US Senate passes bill to halt military support to Saudi in Yemen

The US Senate voted 54 to 46 to block further involvement by the US military in the war in Yemen, where bombings by Saudi Arabiaand the UAE, conducted with US weapons, are blamed for causing mass civilian deaths, starvation, and the spread of disease.

"We have the opportunity to take a major step forward in ending the horrific war in Yemen and alleviating that terrible, terrible suffering being experienced by the people in one of the poorest countries in the world," Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, said.

"There is no secret as to why there is a cholera epidemic. It's because the Saudis bombed the water treatment facilities so the water isn't clean any more," said Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat.

Aid groups estimate that as many as 60,000 civilians have been killed in the war and as many as 85,000 children starved to death.

The Senate action sends the resolution back to the House of Representatives, which is expected to approve it a second time after having voted 248 to 177 on February 13 to approve the measure. The resolution is being brought forward under the War Powers Act of 1973, a Vietnam War-era law that asserts Congress's authority over the deployment of US military power.