President Joe Biden said he ordered direct strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
“Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” he said.
He said the strikes came in direct response to the attacks, which included the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.
Biden said the targeted strikes are a “clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes.”
“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary,” he warned.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) called the strikes “overdue,” and noted that former President Donald Trump had designated the Houthis as terrorists — one of the actions Biden reversed when he entered office.
Cotton said in a statement:
The strikes against the Yemeni outlaws who have threatened our troops and terrorized international shipping are long overdue. But things should’ve never gotten this far. President Trump wisely designated these rebels as terrorists, while one of Joe Biden’s first acts in office was to reverse that decision. Then President Biden appeased Iran for three years, emboldening not only Iran, but also its proxies in places like Yemen and Gaza. After all, where do a bunch of Yemeni outlaws get the know-how to use cruise missiles and one-way attack drones? Iran. Yet President Biden still can’t even bring himself to mention Iran tonight.
He added that he has “doubts” the strikes would deter Iran and its proxies.
“History teaches that only devastating retaliation will deter Iran, as when President Trump killed their terrorist mastermind in 2020 and President Reagan sank half their navy in 1988.
