Four things to watch with the Houthis after US finally struck back

The U.S. and U.K. militaries carried out dozens of strikes in Yemen targeting the Houthis’ military capabilities they’ve been relying on to launch their attacks against commercial vessels.

U.S. defense officials are still conducting a battleground assessment from the strikes, though early indications are that they degraded the Houthis capabilities, even though more attacks could still occur.

How will the Houthis respond?

The Houthis fired one anti-ship ballistic missile on Friday that did not hit any ships, the director of the Joint Staff, Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, told reporters.

“My guess is that the Houthis are trying to figure things out on the ground and trying to determine what capabilities still exist for them,” he added. “But I would expect that, you know, their rhetoric has been pretty strong and pretty high. I would expect that they will attempt some sort of retaliation.”

The Houthi Supreme Political Council said the interests of the United States and the United Kingdom are “legitimate targets” for them. Their presence in the waterways off Yemen’s coasts is “unacceptable and violate all laws,” according to a statement carried by Houthi-run Al-Masirah news.

This image provided by the U.K. Ministry of Defence taken on Thursday Jan. 11, 2024, shows an RAF Typhoon aircraft taking off from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, for a mission to strike targets in Yemen. (Sgt Lee Goddard, UK Ministry of Defence via AP)

What’s Austin’s status?

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin remains hospitalized following complications from his treatment for prostate cancer. He has been in the hospital since Jan. 1, and he has no clear release date yet; however, he resumed his full duties as secretary on Jan. 5.

He approved the strikes from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday afternoon.

“[Austin’s] participation 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,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters. “But he was fully engaged as he would be in any other event.”

He underwent a procedure to treat prostate cancer on Dec. 22 and was hospitalized with complications on Jan. 1. The Pentagon’s delay in notifying the White House, Congress, and the public has been hotly criticized, while the Department of Defense and the White House are reviewing their policies, and relevant congressional committees are demanding answers.

More US strikes?

Sims told reporters that the U.S. and U.K. military carried out a dozen additional strikes after its initial round that were not originally disclosed.

U.S. Air Forces Central, CENTCOM’s Joint & Combined Air Component Command, used more than 100 precision-guided munitions of various types, striking more than 60 targets at 16 militant locations, according to Air Force Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, U.S. Air Forces Central and Combined Forces Air Component Commander.

President Joe Biden, in a statement announcing the strikes, warned that he will “not hesitate to direct further measures,” while Sims noted they feel “very confident about where our munitions struck, but we don’t know at this point, the complete battle damage assessment.”

Comparatively, U.K. Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said there were no further air strikes “immediately planned,” according to the BBC.

Possibility of broader conflict?

Iran supports the Houthis and denounced the U.S.-U.K. airstrikes.

“This unwarranted war violates Yemen’s sovereignty, international law, the UN Charter, and Security Council resolutions, jeopardizing regional peace and security,” the Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations said in a statement Friday posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the country’s foreign minister, said on X, “Instead of a military attack on Yemen, the White House should immediately stop all military and security cooperation with Tel Aviv against the people of Gaza and the West Bank so that security returns to the entire region.” 

Iran supports several militant entities in the Middle East, including the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in Gaza. The Iraqi militias have carried out about 130 attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria since mid-October, while Hamas carried out the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history on Oct. 7, which was the catalyst for all of the current tension in the Middle East.

The U.S. has desperately sought to avoid escalating the Israel-Hamas conflict by involving other actors, hence Biden’s hesitance to carry out such strikes against the Houthis.

“We’re not interested in a war with Yemen. We’re not interested in a conflict of any kind here,” Kirby said on Friday.