The airstrikes on multiple Houthi targets in Yemen follow more than two months of attacks by the Iran-backed militants against cargo ships and U.S. warships in the Red Sea.
The United States and the U.K. launched strikes on multiple Houthi militant targets in Yemen, according to a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The strikes follow more than two months of attacks by the Houthis against international cargo ships and U.S. warships in the Red Sea, expanding a Middle East conflict U.S. officials have worked hard to contain.
The Biden administration has been telegraphing possible retaliation against the Iranian-backed Houthi militants for days, with one senior official saying the Houthis would face “consequences” if the attacks continued. The official said President Biden met with his national security team on New Year’s Day to discuss options.
Since November, the Houthis have targeted international cargo ships in the Red Sea, mounting more than two dozen drone and missile attacks. Some of the attacks have damaged ships, although U.S. warships have shot down many of the missiles and drones.
Just this week, the attacks got more robust with four small Houthi boats trying to attack a container ship, the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou, which officials said was either a hijacking attempt or a suicide mission. U.S. helicopters from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Gravely responded, and when they took fire from the Houthi boats, opened fire, sinking three boats while the fourth one escaped. The Houthis said they lost at least 10 fighters.
The U.S. attacks on Yemen soil come after some Republicans have strongly pushed for retaliation against the Houthis.
Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said recently on ABC’s This Week, that the Biden administration must take a tougher stance against the Houthi militants.
“Well, what I think what’s significant is the administration continues to not respond to the Houthi escalation in the area,” Turner said.
And Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, chided Biden.
“This is a global crisis brought on by weak presidential leadership,” Wicker said in a news release on Jan. 4. “It is time for President Biden to allow our regional commanders the freedom of action they need to end terrorist behavior by the Houthis.”
One former U.S. regional commander, retired Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, who served as the top officer in the Middle East, said in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece last week that it was time to act against the Houthis, and send a message to Iran.
