‘We Are Not At War’: Pentagon Downplays Risk Amid New Strikes On Houthis

This image provided by the U.S. Navy shows an aircraft launching from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) during flight operations in the Red Sea, on Jan. 22, 2024. Kaitlin Watt/U.S. Navy via AP

The United States and international partners conducted several military strikes against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Jan. 22.

The attacks targeted an underground storage site and missile and air surveillance capabilities, according to Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

“Again, our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea,” Gen. Ryder said during a Jan. 23 press briefing.

“These strikes were precise, proportionate, and intended to further disrupt and degrade the capabilities the Houthis have been using to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners.”

The strikes were conducted by the United States and Britain with support from Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, he said.

An additional, ninth strike, was made unilaterally by the United States against a Houthi cruise missile that was prepared to launch and presented an “imminent threat” about 15 minutes after the joint strikes were conducted.

“We believe that we achieved good effects,” Gen. Ryder said.

Risk of Proxy War with Iran

The United States and the United Kingdom have destroyed 25 Houthi missile launch facilities since November, when the terror group began attacking international commercial shipping in support of Hamas.

The White House says that the Houthis are receiving operational and material support from Iran, and have used Iranian drones and missiles to launch more than 100 attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Gen. Ryder did not confirm whether the drones used by the Houthis are the exact model also being used by the Russian military in Ukraine, but said that they were also “one-way attack drones of Iranian origin.”

The Biden administration moved to re-designate the Houthis as a terror group earlier in the month due to the group’s continued attacks on civilians.

A senior administration official said during a Jan. 16 press call that the “impactful designation” was necessary given the scope of the Houthis’ behavior.

“These attacks are a clear example of terrorism and a violation of international law and a major threat to life, global commerce, and they jeopardize the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” the official said.

There are fears, however, that the United States continued military strikes against the Houthis may spiral into a proxy war against Iran. Something that Gen. Ryder assured reporters was not the administration’s intention.

“We are not at war in the Middle East,” he said. “Clearly, there are significant tensions in the Middle East.”

“Our goal here is not to escalate or get into a conflict with the Houthis. Our goal is to prevent these continued attacks against the international community and international shipping transiting the Red Sea.”

Asked whether the United States would continue military operations against the Houthis, Gen. Ryder said that the option remained on the table.

“It’s not out of the question that there could be some additional strikes.”