Biden signals more strikes to come against Houthis

President Biden on Thursday signaled there likely will be more U.S. strikes against the Houthis, acknowledging the Iranian-backed military group in Yemen has not been deterred by an initial response from the Biden administration and its allies.

Biden was asked while departing for North Carolina if strikes against the Houthis were working.

“Well, when you say ‘working’ — are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes,” Biden told reporters.

The U.S. has carried out multiple rounds of military strikes against the Houthis in recent days, targeting command centers and military installations. The first round of strikes, launched last week, was carried out in coordination with the United Kingdom.

The Houthis have attacked multiple civilian cargo ships with missiles in recent weeks, including multiple U.S.-owned ships and U.S. Navy vessels. The most recent incident was against the U.S.-owned bulk carrier Genco Picardy in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.

“With each and every one of these strikes, we are taking away capability from the Houthis,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday. “With each and every one of these strikes we are making it harder for them to propagate these attacks.”

“If the Houthis continue to go down this path, we will continue to do what we can to disrupt and degrade their ability,” he added.

The administration announced Wednesday it will designate the Houthis as a Specially Designated Terrorist Group (SDTG), in response to attacks the group launched against international commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and what the Houthis say is a response to Israel’s war against Hamas. 

The SDTG label differs slightly from a Foreign Terrorist Organization label, a designation imposed by the Trump administration in the early days of 2021, but revoked by the Biden administration over concerns that it would block humanitarian assistance to Yemen.

Updated at 12:52 p.m.