President Joe Biden is admitting strikes against the Houthis are not working to stop their attacks. But does that mean the U.S. will stop?
Not necessarily.
While he was leaving the White House on Thursday, a reporter asked him, “Are the airstrikes in Yemen working?”
The president gave what seems to be an honest, yet strange response.
“Well, when you say ‘working’ are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes,” Biden answered.
Watch the video below:
President Biden says the United States will continue to conduct airstrikes against Ansar Allah (Houthis).
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 18, 2024
Reporter: “Are the airstrikes in Yemen working?”
Biden: “Well, when you say ‘working’ are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes.” pic.twitter.com/mcaPQZiAJY
The exchange comes after the U.S. launched a fifth round of air strikes this week against the Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen in response to attacks on commercial shipping vessels.
ABC News noted those strikes targeted 14 sites controlled by the Houthis that were deemed imminent threats.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, the militants have been launching attacks on commercial ships they claim are linked to Israel.
In response, the U.S. re-listed the Houthis as a terrorist organization and imposed sanctions on the militant group. Additionally, it has been carrying out strikes in Yemen. However, as Biden noted, they do not appear to be deterring the Houthis.
On Wednesday, a U.S.-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden was attacked by a bomb-carrying drone. After the attack, the ship’s captain reported, “Vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to next port of call.” That was the second incident involving a U.S.-owned vessel this week.
So, if these strikes — by the president’s own admission — are not stopping the Houthis, what exactly are we doing here?
Why are we going to continue lobbing missiles into Yemen if the Houthis just keep attacking ships?
At some point, if you just keep shooting missiles into a country while admitting they are not stopping attacks, it just makes the U.S. look like a paper tiger, and it gives our adversaries the perception we will not have a powerful response to aggression which will invite more aggression.
