US officials
acknowledge that
airstrikes
against
Houthi militants
in Yemen won't deter the group from attacks that have roiled
commercial shipping
in the
Red Sea
. Yet that doesn't mean the military campaign will stop anytime soon.
President
Joe Biden
candidly described the dilemma Thursday when he was asked about the efforts to weaken Houthi capabilities after the Iran-backed group's series of drone and missile strikes disrupted shipping in in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital trade waterway.
"Are they stopping the
Houthis
? No. Are they going to continue? Yes," Biden told reporters in comments that fit his long habit of saying the quiet part out loud.
Analysts and outside critics - not to mention the Houthis themselves - have said the aerial military campaign won't prevent them from firing on more ships, especially if the US refuses to target the group's main backer, Iran. Yet in the absence of any better options for now, the Biden administration may have no choice. "Basically, they came to the conclusion that this was the least bad of the bad options that they had," said Gerald Feierstein, a former US ambassador to Yemen.
The comments only further exposed the difficult balancing act Biden faces. He must confront the chaos in the Red Sea caused by the Houthis, but he doesn't want to go to war with Iran or pull in even more participants into the conflict.
Biden's remarks prompted hasty clarification from National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, who said every strike makes it harder for the Houthis to keep up their attacks. At the same time, a tentative strategy may be emerging, with a focus on continuing the strikes against the Houthis, pressuring Iran and seeking more international support for the campaign. That's despite the understanding that the battle-hardened militants have already endured years of air strikes from Saudi Arabia's military, have little infrastructure of value to target and have been able to repair or replenish their weapons, thanks to Iran.
English (US) ·