A senior defense official said the Biden administration expected retaliation after the United States and Britain launched joint airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to continued attacks by insurgents on commercial ships in the Red Sea. .
The official said late Thursday after the airstrike that the administration had so far “not seen any direct retaliatory action against the United States or other members of the coalition.”
“We have high expectations, but [the joint] “I wouldn't be surprised if there was some response, because these airstrikes are meant to degrade the Houthis' capabilities and degrade their standing, and certainly reduce their ability and propensity to carry out these attacks over time.” said a senior government official.
The United States is building an international coalition to protect international shipping from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. (Mass Communications Special Officer 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/U.S. Navy, via AP)
He said President Biden directed Secretary Austin on Tuesday to carry out the response following one of the most complex attacks to date by the Houthis targeting international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
On that day, Iranian-backed Houthi militants launched one-way attack drones, anti-ship cruise missiles, and anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-held areas in Yemen into the international shipping lanes of the Red Sea.
The attack, which occurred while dozens of commercial ships were underway, was one of the largest drone and missile attacks by the terrorist group since it began attacking commercial ships in November.
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A senior Biden administration official said Friday's coordinated strikes were “specifically aimed at disrupting and diminishing the Houthis' ability to threaten global trade and freedom of navigation in one of the world's most important waterways.”
He said the targets selected were “specifically focused on Houthi missile radar and unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities, which are essential to Houthi operations against commercial vessels on the high seas.”
He said more than a dozen shipping companies had been forced to reroute ships around the Cape of Good Hope, and the Houthi attacks had a direct impact on the people, cargo and commercial interests of more than 50 countries. said.
The official said Defense Secretary Austin was monitoring Friday morning's airstrike in real time from Walter Reed Hospital and had multiple phone calls with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the National Security Council and Centcom commander Kurilla. .
On Thursday, December 21, 2023, a new Aspire crude oil tanker moves along the Suez Canal towards Ismailia, Suez, Egypt. (Stringer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Houthi militants said their actions were linked to Israel's military offensive in response to the Oct. 7 attack on Gaza in which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took another 240 hostages. Biden administration officials called the claims “completely baseless and unjustified.”
“That's not true at all,” he said. “They are firing indiscriminately at ships with global connections.”
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President Biden said the strikes were aimed at showing that the United States and its allies “will not tolerate” continued attacks by armed groups on the Red Sea. And he said he made this move only after attempts at diplomatic negotiations and careful deliberation.
Houthi-held Yemeni coast as demonstrators march through the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah in solidarity with Gaza residents, as fighting continues between Israel and the militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, January 4, 2024. Guard members are patrolling the sea. Gaza. (AFP via Getty Images)
The airstrike was the first U.S. military response to continuous drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. And this coordinated military attack comes just a week after the White House and a number of partner countries issued a final warning to the Houthis that they could face military action if they did not halt their attacks. I was disappointed. The officials described the attack on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. Lawmakers were briefed on the strike plan early Thursday.
The rebels, who have launched 27 attacks using dozens of drones and missiles since November 19, have warned that any U.S. attack on their strongholds in Yemen would trigger a fierce military response. Was.
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A senior Houthi official, Ali al-Qahoum, vowed there would be retaliation. “The battle will be even bigger…and beyond the imagination and expectations of Americans and British people,” he said in a post to X.
