U.S. military continues strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen

President Joe Biden on Thursday acknowledged that attacks by the United States and its allies had not yet motivated the Houthi rebels to quit attacking commercial vessels in the waters around Yemen. Biden promised to continue strikes against the Houthi rebels. U.S. Central Command on Thursday morning struck two Houthi anti-ship missiles that were aimed into the southern Red Sea, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a news conference. Central Command struck 14 other missiles the night before, she said.

Has any other country taken action? The United Kingdom has also participated in strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The United States and other countries are currently running Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect shipping around Yemen. The leader of the Houthis, Abdul-Malik Badruldeen al-Houthi, has vowed to continue attacks on commercial shipping despite the strikes.

What else is the Biden administration doing to protect shipping? Executive branch officials on Wednesday reinstated the Trump administration’s designation of the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization.” White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby said the Biden administration had originally peeled off that label in 2021 to address what he described as a “dire, dire humanitarian situation” in Yemen.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions answering the question, “Who are the Houthis?”