The Houthis have conducted more than two dozen drone and missile attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November. Following many threats and warnings, the United States launched retaliatory strikes against a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen last night.
The Houthis are a terrorist group — a terrorist group delisted as such by the Biden administration foreign policy apparat. They are, moreover, one of the principal Iranian proxies following orders from Tehran in support of Hamas’s war on Israel. The United States collaborated on the strikes with British forces. The retaliatory operation was supported by Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain, which are all said to have provided support.
I have posted CentCom’s statement on the strikes at the bottom of this post. It is unusual insofar as it actually identifies Iran as the Houthis’ sponsor. President Biden’s statement on the strikes, for example, omits any mention of Iran. This is the conclusion of CentCom’s statement:
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 General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander. “Their illegal and dangerous actions will not be tolerated, and they will be held accountable.”
The White House has posted a background briefing by senior administration officials and one military official here. The briefing is dated today at 8:15 p.m. EST — as I write it is 3:15 p.m. EST. With its damage assessment, it reads to me as though it must have taken place today, although it may have been last night.
Whether or not the Iranian regime will be held accountable remains to be seen. The regime appears not to think so and will — I think predictably — put the Biden administration to the test.
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
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