Biden draws up plan for ‘sustained’ military action against Houthis

American fighter jets have repeatedly struck Houthi sites in Yemen over the past ten days, with the latest taking out an anti-ship missile

The Biden administration is reportedly drawing up plans for “sustained” military action in Yemen against the Houthis after US strikes failed to stop rebel attacks on ships.
American fighter jets have repeatedly struck Houthi sites in Yemen over the past ten days, with the latest on Saturday taking out an anti-ship missile that was preparing to fire, according to the US military.
Despite the operations to destroy their radars, missiles and drones, the Iran-backed group – which has almost a decade of experience hiding its weapons from western-backed Saudi air strikes – has vowed to fight on, framing their attacks as an act of solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli attack in Gaza.
On Saturday the Washington Post reported that the Biden administration was crafting plans for a sustained campaign against the Houthis.
The newspaper said the White House had convened senior officials on Wednesday to discuss ways it could evolve its response to the attacks.
No further details have been released on what they may look like though earlier this week Mr Biden conceded the attacks would continue despite failing to deter the Houthis from their campaign.
“Are they stopping the Houthis? No,” Mr Biden told reporters this week. “Are they going to continue? Yes.”
The US officials interviewed by the Post said that they do not expect the campaign to stretch on for years, as in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, but could not estimate when it might end.
However, others in the administration fear the US will end up entangled in yet another open-ended Middle Eastern conflict without an exit strategy.
In its latest assault, the US on Saturday struck a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and about to be launched, according to the US military. That round of strikes came just hours after the US struck three other Houthi anti-ship missiles.
Britain joined the US in carrying out reprisal attacks on Houthi targets earlier this month. Though it has struck a more cautious tone since on its approach to future strikes, it has not ruled out further action.
Defence secretary Grant Shapps said the UK will not accept the Red Sea being permanently closed.
On Sunday the Ministry of Defence said it would spend 405 million pounds to upgrade a missile system now being used by the Royal Navy to shoot down hostile drones over the Red Sea.
The Houthis have framed their attacks in the Red Sea as a tactic to pressure the US into ceasing its unfettered support for Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.
The group, which controls most of Yemen, has carried out more than 30 missile and drone attacks against commercial and naval vessels since mid-November.
Iran is believed to have stepped up its arms deliveries to the Houthis in the wake of the October 7 attacks, with commanders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps and Lebanon’s Hezbollah reportedly on the ground in Yemen helping the Houthis coordinate the attacks.
UK and US intelligence also indicates that Houthis are seeking more weapons from Tehran, Politico reported.
The fear among some US lawmakers is that Washington has miscalculated to what extent it can involve itself in the conflict with the Houthis.

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