White House officials have described their strategy in Yemen as an attempt to undermine the Houthis' military capabilities to limit their ability to launch attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Or to provide a sufficient deterrent for shipping companies to resume shipping through the region's waterways.
The US military campaign against the Houthis is dragging on
US President Joe Biden's administration is drawing up plans for a protracted military campaign against Yemen's Houthis after 10 days of strikes failed to halt the group's attacks on foreign shipping in the Red Sea.
This was reported by The Washington Post.
According to the newspaper, the White House gathered senior officials to discuss options for further actions by the administration in response to the actions of the Iran-backed movement.
The Houthis see their campaign, which has included more than 30 missile and drone attacks on commercial and naval vessels since November, as a means of pressuring Israel.
The rapidly expanding U.S. response also risks drawing Biden into another volatile campaign in a region that has repeatedly failed the U.S. military, potentially undermining his attempt to reorient U.S. foreign policy toward Russia and China.
Administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described their strategy in Yemen as an attempt to undermine the Houthis' high-level military capabilities to limit their ability to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, or at least provide enough of a deterrent that shipping companies that risk-averse, have resumed sending vessels through the waterways of the region.
We clearly imagine who the Houthis are and what their worldview is. So we're not sure they're going to stop immediately, but we're certainly trying to weaken and destroy their capabilities, a senior US official said of the group, which the Biden administration designated as a terrorist organization this week.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea: what is known
In November 2023, the Yemeni Houthis began attacking ships off the coast of Yemen. This happened after October 7 - the beginning of the attack by Hamas militants on Israel and the beginning of military operations in Gaza.
Such actions of the Houthis began to affect world trade, since an important trade route passes along the coast of Yemen.
In response, Britain and the USA hit Houthi targets in Yemen with missiles. London and Washington also stressed that if the militants continue their attacks, the strikes will continue.
