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Senators: More U.S. special ops troops may be needed in Yemen

Yemeni protesters burn representations of American, French and Israeli flags during a demonstration to show their support for Houthi Shiite rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. Thousands of protesters demonstrated Friday across Yemen, some supporting the Shiite rebels who seized the capital and others demanding the country's south secede after the nation's president and Cabinet resigned. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed) Yemeni protesters burn representations of American, French and Israeli flags during a demonstration to show their support for Houthi Shiite rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015. Thousands of protesters demonstrated Friday across Yemen, some supporting the Shiite rebels who seized the capital and others demanding the country's south secede after the nation's president and Cabinet resigned. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

By Associated Press January 25, 2015 1 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Two influential senators are calling on President Barack Obama to send more ground U.S. troops to Yemen.

The suggestion by Republican John McCain and Democrat Dianne Feinstein is a direct challenge to Obama. The president has said he doesn’t want to increase the U.S. military presence in Yemen despite the deteriorating security condition in that country.

McCain – a Republican who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee – and Feinstein tell CBS’ “Face the Nation” that more ground troops – and special operations forces in particular – may be necessary to blunt Iranian influence in Yemen.

Feinstein, who’s the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, says the U.S. needs to bolster its human intelligence in the region, and not rely so heavily on intelligence gathered by technical means.