Biden facing pressure to strike Houthi weapon bases in Yemen, NYT reports

The New York Times reports that US President Joe Biden is facing increasing pressure to act against the Houthis in Yemen as the rebel group’s Red Sea attacks increase in ferocity.

According to the report, US defense officials have prepared plans to strike missile and drone bases in Yemen, but the Biden administration is hesitant to use them.

Senior officials in the administration are concerned that carrying out the strikes could inadvertently benefit Iran, while also risking a delicate truce between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, the report says.

Retired Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan warns the New York Times, however, that if the US doesn’t respond to the threat posed by the Houthis to US military vessels and personnel, it invites more attacks as enemy groups start believing that “attacking a US ship carries a low risk of retaliation.”

The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out over 20 attacks on vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, and while the rebel group claims it only targets ships with ties to Israel, it has launched attacks on ships traveling under the Norwegian and Liberian flags, among others.