President Joe Biden had an unexpected response when questioned about the efficacy of airstrikes against Houthi terrorists.
Namely, he fully expects that attacks on merchant vessels attempting to cross the Red Sea will continue.
After the remarks, Biden journeyed to North Carolina, a state he's cautious optimistic he can win in this year's presidential election.
The U.S. and British militaries first launched retaliatory strikes against Houthi positions last week in response to attacks on civilian ships. The U.S.-led coalition has conducted three rounds of strikes. However, the Iranian-backed Houthis continue to use the Red Sea as a tool to gain leverage over Israel.
Writing for Mediaite, Phillip Nieto notes that even Biden admitted the U.S. response had not achieved the desired outcome:
A reporter on the south lawn asked the president, “Are the air strikes in Yemen working?”
“When you say working, are they stopping the Houthis, no. Are they going to continue, yes,” Biden responded on Thursday.
The recent strikes on the Houthis include 14 missiles that were launched from submarines and U.S. Navy warships from the Red Sea. This comes after the U.S. put the Houthis back on the list designating global terrorists and renewed sanctions designed to hurt the group's financing.
Biden's response comes after a group of bipartisan lawmakers, including progressive Democrats, have criticized the administration for not seeking Congressional approval before launching the military strikes in Yemen.
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