Air strikes have failed to stop Houthi assaults, admits Biden
JOE BIDEN admitted US air strikes had not stopped Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, but vowed to continue targeting the Iran-backed rebels unless they ended their assaults.
American forces conducted two further strikes on Houthi targets yesterday morning, hitting 16 missiles that had been loaded to fire on vessels in the Bab al-mandab Strait.
US intelligence officials believe that two initial strikes on Houthi drone and missile sites last week left the group with about three quarters of its capabilities intact, raising questions about the efficacy of the operation.
Asked about the strikes by reporters at the White House yesterday, Mr Biden said: “Well, when you say ‘working’, are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they gonna continue? Yes.”
Four RAF Typhoons from an airbase in Cyprus joined the first strike against the rebels last Thursday, hitting targets in Houthi-controlled north-western Yemen. Despite assurances from Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, that the UK was willing to attack again if necessary, the US has since acted unilaterally.
A defence source said the UK had not been asked to participate in further strikes because the most recent action was smaller than the initial response and had not required international co-operation.
The two US strikes on Houthi missiles yesterday brought the total to six attacks on the rebels since last week.
A statement from US Central Command said: “These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time.
“These strikes… will degrade the Houthi’s capabilities to continue their reckless attacks on international and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab-el-mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.”