As the Biden administration faced increasing calls to launch offensive strikes against Houthi military assets, Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, who commands US naval forces in the Middle East, said the international coalition to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea was defensive in nature.
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“Anything that happens outside of the defensive side of this process is a completely different process,” Cooper told reporters.
Pressed on what action the United States and its partners might take, Cooper said: “I will let the statement speak for itself, which, again, represents many countries around the world and highlights that if these strikes do not stop, there will be consequences.”
Cooper said that the Houthi drone boat was carrying a load of explosives and traveled about 24 kilometers before it exploded.
He said that it approached within sight of American warships and nearby commercial ships before exploding in plain sight.
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While the intended target ship is unknown, he said it was “obvious.” [launched] With intent to harm.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia wanted to see attacks in the Red Sea end, but declined to comment on how it would contribute to international efforts to restore order in the sea lane beyond measures already announced.
“This is about freedom of navigation and the attacks are completely unacceptable,” Albanese said.
“And that's why you saw the response from the US-led group that Australia is currently contributing to in Bahrain.
“We recently doubled the size of our participants at headquarters there and continue to work with our allies, which is why I made such a comprehensive and very strong statement.”
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Albanese said Australia and the other 11 countries – including the US, UK and Japan – had sent “a clear message to the Houthis and to anyone else who wants to do harm with the unprovoked attacks that are occurring” through a joint statement. Thursday. She said, “The Houthis will bear responsibility for the consequences if they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the free flow of trade in the region's vital waterways.”
Kenneth Franklin McKenzie Jr., who served as commander of US Central Command from 2019 to 2022, criticized the Biden administration for being indecisive in confronting the aggression of Iran's proxies.
“Even before the Hamas attack on October 7, Iranian forces were launching missile and drone strikes on our bases across the region, operating through proxies that gave them a measure of deniability,” he wrote in a New York Times op-ed. Wall Street Journal.
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“Our response has always been tentative, over-referential and unfocused.”
“To reset deterrence, we must use violence that Tehran understands.”
With agencies
