The Pentagon is considering strikes on military facilities of the ruling Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) in the north of Yemen in response to the increasing attacks on ships in the Red Sea, Semafor portal reported citing officials of the administration of US President Joe Biden.
Earlier, the Houthis warned of their intention to attack any ships linked to Israel, calling on other countries to withdraw their crews from them and not to approach them at sea. A number of shipping companies decided to suspend shipping through the Red Sea. The Pentagon noted that a U.S. destroyer in the Red Sea shot down 14 UAVs launched from Houthi-controlled territory on Saturday.
“The Pentagon is discussing the possibility of direct strikes against military facilities of the Houthi rebels in Yemen,” the portal said.
According to Semafor, US presidential administration officials are increasingly concerned that “the Houthis and their sponsors in Tehran are trying to undermine global maritime trade.”
At the same time, the portal’s interlocutors noted that they are weighing the possibility of strikes against concerns that such a move could lead to the start of “a broader war against Iran and its proxies.”
US presidential national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday that Iran must take action to end the threat to shipping posed by the Houthis.
Earlier, Tehran rejected statements by Western countries, particularly the US and Britain, about Tehran’s alleged involvement in attacks by Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement on merchant ships in the Red Sea. Iran emphasised that “resistance groups” in the Middle East, such as supporters of the Houthis, do not receive any instructions from or obey Iran, “these groups make decisions and act based on their own principles and priorities, as well as the interests of their country and people”.