Biden Warns After Strikes on Houthi Targets: ‘I Will Not Hesitate to Direct Further Measures’
President Joe Biden said in a statement Thursday he ordered direct strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to attack commercial vessels in the Red Sea for the last few months.
“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.
A view from the U.S. and British naval fleet as Yemeni local sources state U.S. and British warplanes have carried out airstrikes on some points in Sana’a, Hodeidah and Taiz cities during the night, at sea on January 12, 2024. (U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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. That bold, decisive action is the opposite of what we’ve seen from Joe Biden for three years,” he said.
U.S. forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, on Thursday conducted strikes on Houthi targets after months of non-stop attacks on international commercial vessels and U.S. warships in the Red Sea.
“On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their capability to continue their illegal and reckless attacks on U.S. and international vessels and commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
“This multinational action targeted radar systems, air defense systems, and storage and launch sites for one way attack unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles,” it said.
An infographic shows strikes against Houthis inside Yemen’ on January 12, 2024. (Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We hold the Houthi militants and their destabilizing Iranian sponsors responsible for the illegal, indiscriminate, and reckless attacks on international shipping that have impacted 55 nations so far, including endangering the lives of hundreds of mariners, including the United States,” said Army General Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of Centcom.
“Their illegal and dangerous actions will not be tolerated, and they will be held accountable,” he added.
A source told Breitbart News on Thursday that President Joe Biden approved the strikes.
On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their capability to continue their illegal and… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 12, 2024
The strikes come after the White House and international partners last week warned the Houthis to stop firing missiles and one-way attack drones at the vessels that the Houthis claimed were linked to Israel. Some of the ships targeted were owned by Israeli companies, or had made stops in Israel, but other ships appeared to have no discernible link.
In some of the attacks, ships were hit and damaged. The Houthis have also hijacked some ships and are holding crew hostage. The attacks have prompting shipping companies to reroute around Africa, increasing time and shipping costs, as well as insurance rates and costs.
Houthi spokesmen have said the attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians, after Israel launched a military offensive against Hamas in Gaza after Hamas conducted a terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,200 and kidnapping 240.
Centcom said in its statement that since Oct. 17, 2023, Iranian-backed Houthi militants have attempted to attack and harass 27 ships in international shipping lanes, and that the attacks have employed anti-ship ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
A warplane takes off from the U.S. and British naval fleet as Yemeni local sources state military aircraft have carried out airstrikes on some points in Sana’a, Hodeidah and Taiz cities during the night, at sea on January 12, 2024. (U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)/Anadolu via Getty)
The Biden administration has attempted to contain the Israel-Gaza conflict and avoid it spreading to involve other countries, but since the October 7 attack, Iran’s proxy groups have dramatically increased attacks against U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Syria. The Houthis, who are also supported by Iran, began attacking ships in the Red Sea.
Pressure has mounted on the Biden administration to take action against the Houthis. Prior to the strikes, U.S. forces were shooting down the missiles and drones, but had not taken against directly against the Houthis. In one recent incident, Houthi forces had fired upon U.S. Navy helicopters, prompting the helicopters to fire back and sink three Houthi boats, killing the crews.
Centcom said in its statement that Thursday’s strikes “have no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian,” which has been described as a “defensive” coalition meant to provide protection to commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden.
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