Biden is going to destroy this country, isn’t he?
President Joe Biden is currently encountering mounting pressure to take assertive measures against Houthi targets in Yemen, as reported by The New York Times on Sunday, due to the continuous threat posed by the Iranian-backed terrorist group to commercial shipping interests in the Red Sea.
In response to escalating tensions, U.S. military forces, specifically Navy helicopters, successfully obliterated three “Iranian-backed Houthi small boats” in the southern Red Sea, resulting in the demise of the crews. This marked the inaugural direct confrontation between the U.S. and Houthi forces since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7.
Despite comprehensive plans from Pentagon officials detailing potential strikes on missile and drone bases in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen, the Biden administration appears hesitant to employ military force against the terrorist group. This reluctance stems from concerns that such actions could inadvertently benefit Iran and potentially escalate the conflict into a broader regional war, an outcome the White House is eager to avoid.
Additionally, there is unease within the Biden administration that a direct confrontation between the U.S. and the Houthis might jeopardize the delicate truce between the Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia.
On the flip side, the U.S. Defense Department is expressing worries that refraining from responding to attacks by Iranian-backed proxies could erode deterrence and expose military personnel and assets to heightened risks.
The situation is further complicated by an ongoing offensive led by the Iranian-backed terrorist proxy in Yemen against maritime trade in the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Since mid-November, Houthi forces have actively engaged in anti-ship drone and missile attacks, as well as acts of piracy against both commercial and military vessels.
While the U.S. spearheads “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” a multinational coalition safeguarding shipping in the Red Sea with approximately 20 participating countries, including the U.K., there are deliberations within Britain to take “direct action” against the Houthis. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps emphasized the commitment to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks, affirming that the U.K. “won’t hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”
Concurrently, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group, initially deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean in response to the Hamas attack on Israel, is slated to depart the region and return to its home base in Norfolk, Virginia. This departure, occurring more than two months after the initially scheduled return, underscores the prolonged deployment due to the ongoing conflict. Despite this development, the U.S. maintains confidence in its robust military capability in the region, retaining the flexibility to deploy additional cruisers and destroyers to the Mediterranean and the Middle East if deemed necessary.