President Joe Biden ‘won’t hesitate’ to strike Yemen again if the Houthis keep attacking American troops, the White House said on Friday.
American and British troops launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on late Thursday night.
‘These were all valid, legitimate military targets,’ National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a press briefing where he also pushed back against lawmakers who said Congress should have been consulted and praised Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for leading the strikes from his hospital bed.
President Joe Biden ‘won’t hesitate’ to strike Yemen again if the Houthis keep attacking American troops, the White House said
‘We’re not interested in a war with Yemen — we’re not interested in a conflict of any kind,’ he said but added that the president ‘won’t hesitate to take further action to protect our troops and our facilities and international commerce.’
Kirby also said the White House expects the Houthis to try to strike back.
‘Nobody was pollyannish about the possibility that they might conduct some sort of retaliation,’ he noted.
The U.S.-led bombardment – launched in response to a recent attacks on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea – killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said. The U.S. said the strikes took aim at more than 60 targets in 16 different locations across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is in Walter Reed Medical Center following complications for surgery for prostrate cancer, participated in the planning and spoke to Biden on the phone from his hospital bed. Austin has been under fire for taking days to disclose his illness and the fact he was hospitalized.
Kirby praised Austin’s performance.
‘It was … no different than it would be on any other given day, except that he was briefing the president on options and engaged in the discussions from the hospital. But he was fully engaged as he would be in any other event,’ he said.
Meanwhile, Biden faced rage from the left for launching overnight airstrikes in Yemen without congressional approval.
It came as Turkey accused the US and UK of turning the Red Sea into a ‘bloodbath’ and there were growing fears of widespread escalating violence in the Middle East.
Democrats on Capitol Hill claim it was ‘unconstitutional’ for the president to order US fighter jets, destroyers and submarines to hit targets used by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
‘We’re very comfortable and confident in the legal authorities that the President exercise,’ Kirby said in response to the criticism.
Biden was also lambasted by Donald Trump for ‘dropping bombs all over the Middle East, AGAIN’ instead of focusing on the migrant crisis at the US southern border.
The US used more than 100 precision missiles striking at around 2.30am local time on over 60 targets at 16 locations in the massive operation that led to powerful explosions lighting up the night sky in Yemen.
US and UK armed forces released clips of their fighter jets taking off ahead of their bombing runs.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan furiously condemned the strikes in a statement this morning, accusing the US and UK of turning the Red Sea into a ‘sea of blood’. Iran and Russia also accused the West of ‘illegal’ and escalatory actions.
The Houthi rebels, who have been attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, vowed to make the allies behind the attacks ‘pay a heavy price’ for the ‘blatant aggression’ they claim has killed at least five fighters.
In Yemen there were mass protests in support of the rebel group in cities across the country, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets chanting slogans and toting placards.
In Washington Democratic progressives on Capitol Hill, including members of the left-wing group known as The Squad, responded with fury because Biden didn’t seek congressional approval first for the strikes.
The US used more than 100 precision missiles striking at around 2.30am local time on over 60 targets at 16 locations, according to the air force. Explosions were reported in Sana’a, Hodeidah governorate, Saada, and Dhamar, Houthi officials confirmed. It’s unclear the extent of the damage or any injuries. Fighter jets, Navy destroyers, a submarine and Tomahawk cruise missiles were all used in the blitz. Sites including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities, and air defense radar systems were hit, according to officials. At least one submarine was deployed, the US would not confirm exactly which but Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN-728) entered the Red Sea in November, USNI News reports. The vessel has capacity for 154 missiles. Super Hornets from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) were also deployed, along with Air Force strike fighters
An Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft takes off to join the US led coalition to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen. On Thursday evening, four Royal Air Force Typhoons launched from Royal Air Force Akrotiri to conduct strikes against military targets in Yemen
Democratic members of Congress Rep. Ro Khanna (left) and Rep. Cori Bush (right) were among the lawmakers tearing into Biden for launching the airstrikes without congressional approval
‘The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east (sic) conflict,’ California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said.
‘For over a month, he consulted an international coalition to plan them, but never came to Congress to seek authorization as required by Article I of the Constitution.’
Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war.
However, under the War Powers Act of 1973 the president is only required to inform Congress of military action within 48 hours.
Under that act, if Congress does not then declare war, the president must end the military action within 60 days, with another 30 days for withdrawal.
The White Houses and Congress have repeatedly argued over the parameters of the War Powers Act during military interventions overt the last 50 years.
Following the Yemen strikes Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat and member of the progressive Squad, called the strikes ‘illegal’ and told Biden, 81, to ‘stop the bombing and do better by us’.
‘The people do not want more of our taxpayer dollars going to endless war and the killing of civilians,’ she added.
Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib also called the operation ‘unconstitutional’ and said Americans are ‘tired of endless war’.
She has previously accused Biden of supporting ‘genocide’ in Gaza with his backing of Israel’s military offensive in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
Oregon Rep. Val Hoyle added: ‘These airstrikes have NOT been authorized by Congress.
‘The Constitution is clear: Congress has the sole authority to authorize military involvement in overseas conflicts. Every president must first come to Congress and ask for military authorization, regardless of part.’
Head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington, said the strikes were an ‘unacceptable violation of the Constitution’.
‘Article 1 requires that military action be authorized by Congress,’ she added.
Republicans including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the strikes were long overdue and a hopeful sign the Biden administration would take a more aggressive approach to Iran and in its proxies.
But Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: ‘So, let me get this straight. We’re dropping bombs all over the Middle East, AGAIN (where I defeated ISIS!), and our Secretary of Defense, who just went missing for five days, is running the war from his laptop in a hospital room.
‘Remember, this is the same gang that “surrendered” in Afghanistan, where no one was held accountable or FIRED. It was the most embarrassing “moment” in the history of the United States.
‘Now we have wars in Ukraine, Israel, and Yemen, but no “war” on our Southern Border. Oh, that makes a lot of sense. Crooked Joe Biden is the worst President in the history of the United States!’
Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib also called the operation ‘unconstitutional’ and said Americans are ‘tired of endless war’
US and UK military forces have ‘successfully’ completed targeted strikes in Yemen used by Houthi to attack ships in the Red Sea
Defending the White House’s decision not to seek congressional approval a senior administration official said senior leaders on Capitol Hill had been notified.
That included the ‘gang of 8’ group of senior figures in Congress.
‘Our military actions against the Houthis, as part of an international coalition, were fully consistent with international and domestic law,’ the senior administration official said.
‘The Justice Department has set out a longstanding test for the President’s constitutional authority to direct the use of military force – there must be a significant national interest at stake, and the action must be below the threshold of “war” in the constitutional sense.’
‘The facts here easily meet that test given the attacks we had endured from the Houthis and the limited nature of the coalition strikes.’
NATO declared the US-led strikes were aimed at protecting shipping through the Red Sea and urged Iran to ‘rein in its proxies’.
‘These strikes were defensive, and designed to preserve freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways. The Houthi attacks must end,’ Dylan White, a spokesman for the Western military alliance, said.
The attacks come in response to months of Houthi-led bombings on ships in the Red Sea – amid the conflict between Israel and Gaza.
US officials had warned there would be ‘consequences’ for the Houthi’s attack on non-military ships in the Red Sea.
Explosions were reported in Sana’a, Hodeidah governorate, Saada, and Dhamar, Houthi officials confirmed. It’s unclear the extent of the damage or any injuries.
Super Hornets, Navy destroyers, and a submarine launched Tomahawk cruise missiles during the blitz.
Sites including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities, and air defense radar systems were hit, according to officials.
At least one submarine was deployed, the US would not confirm exactly which one but Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Florida (SSGN-728) entered the Red Sea in November, USNI News reports. The vessel has capacity for 154 missiles.
Super Hornets from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) were deployed, along with Air Force fighters originating from a base in the Middle East.
The US and UK, along with , Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, joined together for the attack.
‘These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,’ Biden said.
‘I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.’
The bombardment came thirty minutes after the the U.S. military said the Houthis had had staged their 27th attack on shipping since November 19 earlier on Thursday, firing an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden.
The US military strikes are the country’s first on Yemen since 2016. President Biden said they had been ordered in response to ‘unprecedented’ attacks against maritime vessels.
‘More than 50 nations have been affected in 27 attacks on international commercial shipping. Crews from more than 20 countries have been threatened or taken hostage in acts of piracy,’ Biden said.
‘More than 2,000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea—which can cause weeks of delays in product shipping times. And on January 9, Houthis launched their largest attack to date—directly targeting American ships.’
He then added: ‘Last week, together with 13 allies and partners, we issued an unequivocal warning that Houthi rebels would bear the consequences if their attacks did not cease. And yesterday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution demanding the Houthis end attacks on merchant and commercial vessels.’