US hits Houthis fifth time this week
Fuels fears of widening conflict
For the fifth time in a week, the United States on Thursday attacked Houthi antiship missiles in Yemen, the US military said, underscoring the resilience of the Iran-backed militia’s arsenal and its goal of disrupting vital international shipping lanes.
The series of strikes, and the Houthis’ defiance, have fueled fears that the widening conflicts of the Middle East could worsen and provoke deeper military involvement by the United States and its allies.
The region is tense from military strikes and violence involving a range of countries, factions, and motivations. Israel has for months waged war against another Iran-backed group, Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, and has clashed with a third, Hezbollah, along its border with Lebanon. In the wake of a terrorist attack at home, Iran this week fired missiles at targets in Iraq and Pakistan, and then Pakistan carried out strikes inside Iran.
The Houthis, who have portrayed their attacks on ships as a battle to force Israel to end its campaign in Gaza, have defied demands by the Biden administration and its allies to cease their attacks on shipping lanes critical for global trade.
The US military conducted the strikes against two Houthi antiship missiles that were prepared to launch into the southern Red Sea, the Pentagon’s Central Command said in a statement. US forces had identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, it said, and determined they were “an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region.” A US official had earlier said three targets had been hit.
The strikes Thursday came after Navy vessels fired Tomahawk cruise missiles to destroy 14 missiles and launchers Wednesday, and the United States carried out airstrikes against four other missiles Tuesday.
Despite the Houthis’ assertions about the purpose of their campaign of missile and drone attacks — more than 35 in all so far since November — many of their targets have had no clear connection to Israel.
“We praise God for this great blessing and great honor — for us to be in a direct confrontation with Israel and America,” the leader of the Houthis, AbdulMalek al-Houthi, said in a televised speech before the latest US strikes Thursday.
Al-Houthi said that a direct clash with the United States would only strengthen the group, and he vowed to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis’ stance “won’t be changed by intimidation, criminality, or any type of pressure,” he said. Nor did the strikes affect the Houthis’ military capabilities, he said, arguing that was a “delusion.”
Two US officials cautioned Saturday that even after the strikes hit more than 60 missile and drone targets with more than 150 precision-guided munitions, they had damaged or destroyed only about 20 percent to 30 percent of the Houthis’ offensive capability, much of which is mounted on mobile platforms and can be readily moved or hidden.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal military assessments.
“We confirm to the whole world that as it continues, the American-British aggression will contribute more and more to developing our military capabilities even further,” al-Houthi said.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration said that it would designate the militia as a terrorist organization, blocking the groups’ access to the global financial system.