US says it’s ‘not at war’ as plans emerge for military campaign against Houthis
The US is planning a sustained military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, according to a Washington Post report citing senior officials, even as the White House publicly insists that it is not at war.
The US and UK have launched dozens of air strikes against Houthis targets since 11 January in response to its attacks on international shipping, which the militant group says are in solidarity with Palestinians under fire in Gaza.
President Joe Biden said this week that there was no end in sight to the strikes, as the Houthis have responded with a series of further attacks against shipping, striking several commercial ships with suspected ballistic missiles over the past week.
“Are they stopping the Houthis? No,” the president said. “Will they continue? Yes.”
The Biden adminstration is aiming to wear down the group’s capabilities while providing reassurance to shipping companies wary of transit via the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important commercial routes, according to sources cited by the Post.
One senior official said “We are not sure the Houthis are going to stop immediately, but we are certainly trying to degrade and destroy their capabilities.”
Another diplomat said: “The appetite is to degrade their ability to launch these kinds of attacks going forward, and that involves hitting the infrastructure that enables these kinds of attacks, and targeting their higher-level capabilities.”
The UK has also been signalling an open-ended military campaign, with defence minister Grant Shapps visiting the HMS Diamond, stationed in the Red Sea, on Friday.
But the White House continues to officially maintain the position that the US is not at war.
“We don’t think that we are at war, we don’t want to see a regional war”, said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh on Thursday, describing the strikes as “self-defence.”
While attacks on Houthi positions are expected to continue, White House officials have ruled out an invasion of Yemen.
