In a statement, President Biden described the strikes as necessary retaliation, saying that Houthi violence affected several countries. He added that Thursday's attack was directed at targets used by the Houthis to launch their attacks. He did not reveal whether there were indications that anyone was killed in the operation.
“These attacks have put American personnel, civilian sailors, and our partners at risk, as well as commerce and freedom of navigation,” Biden said. “…I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international trade as necessary.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who has been hospitalized since January 1 after suffering complications from a recent surgery, said in a statement that US and British forces carried out the strikes with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands. He added that the goal is to “disable and weaken the Houthis' capabilities.” This was at least the third major American military action since Austin fell ill.
A US defense official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the operation, said a range of military aircraft and naval assets were used, including submarines. He added that they were able to destroy the Houthis' air defenses before targeting radars and facilities used to store and launch drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
Major General Abdul Salam Jahaf, affiliated with the Houthis, said that the strikes hit the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, the coastal city of Hodeidah, Dhamar, and Saada. Earlier Thursday, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said the militants “will not hesitate” to respond to any attack. He said: “We will confront the American aggression.”
Senior US officials blamed Iran for “aiding and abetting” the crisis in the Red Sea, saying the Houthis would not be able to threaten the shipping route without Tehran’s technological and intelligence support.
Thursday's attacks will almost certainly heighten tensions across the Middle East, which has seen increasing violence since Hamas, another entity allied with Iran, carried out a stunning cross-border attack on Israel in October. The ensuing war in Gaza has left the Biden administration deeply concerned that a strong military response to the Houthis will lead to further escalation by Tehran.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have intensified their targeting of American forces deployed in the two countries. US forces have absorbed at least 131 attacks since October 17, according to Pentagon data. The Biden administration has retaliated with occasional airstrikes, including the killing of a militia leader in Baghdad last week, but so far has refrained from a strong response against the Houthis.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the action taken on Thursday as a “limited, necessary and proportionate measure of self-defence.” He added that despite repeated warnings, “the Houthis continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against British and American warships just this week.” “This cannot stand.”
Other officials said Tuesday's incident marked a turning point. US and British forces shot down 18 unidirectional attack drones, two cruise missiles and a ballistic missile launched as dozens of commercial ships moved through the Red Sea. according to US Central Command, which coordinates US military activity throughout the Middle East. The attack was repelled by a group of warships and fighter aircraft.
In a conference call after Thursday's operation, a senior administration official said Biden was examining the issue and how to proceed. On January 1, after an attack on a ship from Denmark, the president instructed officials to accelerate their work to build a military coalition and refine targets in case strikes were deemed necessary.
Two days later, 13 countries issued a joint statement calling on the Houthis to cease and desist or be held accountable. But the attacks continued. After US Navy forces repelled the attack on Tuesday, Biden reconvened his national security team and was presented with military options for response. The senior administration official said that the president issued directives at the end of the meeting to take the necessary measures.
The senior administration official said that while coalition strikes would weaken the Houthis' ability to carry out future attacks, US officials would not be surprised if violence continued.
At a time when its strong support for the Israeli campaign against Hamas has put the United States at odds with many global partners, the Biden administration has tried to enlist allied countries to ramp up pressure on the Houthis and frame the effort as an international campaign. His statement on Thursday was a reflection of this, noting that “more than 40 countries” had also condemned the Houthi attacks.
While the United States has waged a years-long air campaign against al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen, it has mostly avoided military action against the Houthis, who seized power in the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014. The US Navy fired missiles at radar sites in 2014. Yemen in In 2016 after missile attacks on American ships.
The Houthi seizure of power ignited a protracted civil war in Yemen, which eventually attracted forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and caused heavy casualties among Yemeni civilians. US and UN officials have made years-long diplomatic efforts to stop this conflict, but they have been unable to broker a political agreement between the warring Yemeni parties.
Violence has declined significantly since the ceasefire, which has now expired, came into effect in 2022.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), vice chair of the House Armed Services Intelligence and Operations Subcommittee, was among Democrats who applauded the administration's decision to respond. She said that the scale and complexity of Houthi activity “made it clear to me that we need to restore deterrence.” She added that this is done “by responding to them, and this is done in a precise manner, and we are doing everything in our power to reduce civilian casualties.”
Republicans mostly wondered why Biden did not agree to military action sooner. Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.), the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called the strikes “two months overdue” but “a good first step toward restoring deterrence in the Red Sea.”
Some analysts doubt that the operation will have the intended effect of curbing Red Sea attacks.
“The Houthis are winning by striking an American strike, no matter how strong, and demonstrating their ability to sustain shipping attacks,” said Michael Knights, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “The Houthis are high on their successes and it will not be easy to deter them. “They are having the time of their lives, and they are facing a superpower that may not be able to stop them.”
Others said a strong response was necessary. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, the retired general who led US Central Command before retiring in 2022, said earlier this week that it was important to inflict “pain” on the militants responsible.
He added: “This means that you have to strike targets in Yemen that are considered important to the Houthis.”
The Biden administration's efforts to build international consensus against Houthi violence increased on Wednesday when the United Nations Security Council issued a resolution expressing strong condemnation of the attacks. The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, was approved by 11 votes to zero, with Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique abstaining from voting.
Tehran itself has also taken aggressive measures. The Iranian Navy seized an oil tanker flying the Marshall Islands flag in the Gulf of Oman while it was on its way to Turkey, the US Navy said earlier Thursday. The status of the crew is unknown. Iran is now holding five ships and 90 crew members “hostage,” officials said.
Adam Clements, a former US military attaché to Yemen and a former Pentagon official, warned that Thursday's strikes were unlikely to have the desired effect in deterring the Houthis. “Saving face is extremely important,” Clements said about Yemeni culture and politics, adding, “The Houthis will definitely need to save face, and this will not deter them, and they will carry out more strikes.”
Clements said the group's terrain in northern Yemen is very mountainous, giving the Houthis a strategic geographic advantage to add to their years of combat experience and established smuggling lines.
He added: “They have already gained courage, and this will encourage them even more.” “I think the Houthi movement will definitely use this narrative to help rally support around it.”
Loveday Morris in Berlin contributed to this report.
