Pentagon threatens ‘overwhelming, lethal force' against Houthis
Washington will continue to strike Houthi militants until they cease their attacks on US Navy ships protecting commercial vessels off Yemen's coast, the Pentagon's new spokesman Sean Parnell has said during his first briefing.
On Saturday, US President Donald Trump threatened the Houthis with 'powerful military action' aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
Since October 2023, the Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, have launched multiple drones and missiles at Israeli-bound commercial vessels off Yemen's coast, disrupting key shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The group said that it is acting in support of the Palestinians amid Israel's military operation in Gaza.
During his briefing on Monday, Parnell insisted that the US will keep using 'overwhelming, lethal force' against the Houthis until they stop targeting American warships. He blamed the group for carrying out a total 170 attacks against US Navy ships and 145 against commercial vessels.
'There is a very clear end-state to this operation, and that begins the moment that the Houthis pledge to stop attacking our ships and putting American lives at risk,' he said.
The spokesman stressed that the Yemeni militants 'could stop this tomorrow… but they have clearly chosen not to do that.' Because of this, the US 'campaign will be relentless to degrade their capability,' Parnell warned.
Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during the same briefing that the 'initial wave' of US strikes had hit more than 30 targets at multiple locations inside Yemen, inducing training sites, drone infrastructure, arms depots and command-and-control centers.
On Monday, Trump claimed that the Houthi attacks 'emanate from, and are created by, Iran,' warning that from now on, Washington would view every shot fired by the Yemeni group as if it was fired by Tehran. 'Iran will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire,' the president wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Tehran, which has consistently denied any involvement in the Houthis operations, condemned the US bombing of Yemen as a blatant violation of the UN Charter and a major threat to regional and international peace and security.
The Houthis said the same day that despite the US strikes, they will keep targeting vessels off Yemen's coast 'until aid and basic needs are delivered to the Gaza Strip.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
8 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Netanyahu tells Iranians to revolt
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Iranians to overthrow their government, as unprecedented hostilities erupted between the two countries. Netanyahu made his appeal just hours after Israeli jets bombed nuclear and military sites across Iran, targeting a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz and killing several senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded with a barrage of kamikaze drones and ballistic missiles, several of which struck Tel Aviv. 'The time has come for you to unite around your flag and your historic legacy by standing up for your freedom from an evil and oppressive regime. It has never been weaker,' Netanyahu said in a video address. 'This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard,' he added. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:To the proud people of Iran,We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history, Operation Rising Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years threatens to destroy our country, the State of Israel. Netanyahu reiterated that the aim of the strikes, dubbed Operation Rising Lion, was to eliminate 'both the nuclear threat and the ballistic missile threat to Israel.' Iran condemned the attack as an act of aggression and vowed 'severe punishment.' DETAILS TO FOLLOW
Russia Today
05-06-2025
- Russia Today
Pentagon redirects missile components from Kiev to own forces
The Pentagon has redirected key missile components originally intended for Ukraine's air defense to American forces in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing a confidential notification sent to Congress last week. The move comes as US President Donald Trump has been winding down support for Ukraine since entering office. According to the WSJ, the move concerns proximity fuzes used in ground-based Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) – a guided rocket system that Ukraine has reportedly been using for the past several years to shoot down drones. The fuzes were acquired under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative under former US President Joe Biden. Although funding for the initiative has already been spent, previously approved shipments are still scheduled to arrive in Ukraine later this year and the next. However, the WSJ has claimed that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the transfer of the fuzes via an internal memo last month, designating it as a 'Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue.' The decision was reportedly communicated to the Senate Armed Services Committee, although the Pentagon has declined to comment publicly. Citing anonymous sources and internal documents, the WSJ said the US Air Force intends to use the reallocated fuzes in rockets mounted on F-16 and F-15E fighter jets. The redirection was permitted under an emergency military spending bill passed last year. Celeste Wallander, who served as a senior Defense Department official during the Biden administration, told the WSJ that while the systems have been 'vital' to Ukraine's air defense, there is also an 'urgent requirement to protect US personnel and bases in the Middle East against Houthi and potentially Iranian drone attacks.' The WSJ report comes after Hegseth skipped a NATO meeting this week focused on coordinating military aid to Ukraine. It marked the first time the head of the Pentagon had missed a gathering of the group and came amid Hegseth's repeated criticism of continued US involvement in the Ukraine conflict. President Trump has frequently questioned continued military support for Ukraine, and has called for the conflict to be resolved diplomatically while pushing Moscow and Kiev to reach a peace deal. Russian officials have condemned foreign arms shipments to Kiev throughout the conflict, arguing they will not alter the course of the war but will lead to further escalation and casualties.
Russia Today
04-06-2025
- Russia Today
Pentagon chief to skip key Ukraine meeting
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not attend Wednesday's Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels, the Pentagon has confirmed. It marks the first time the head of the Pentagon will miss a gathering of the group. The US has been the lynchpin of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which has provided Ukraine with around $126 billion in weapons and other military assistance since its inception in April 2022. Under former Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, Washington also served as the group's chair, with the secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff attending its monthly meetings. However, Hegseth will not be present at the meeting of 50 defense ministers in Belgium, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson confirmed, citing scheduling issues. At the same time, she stressed that 'the United States is focused on ending the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible, on terms that establish an enduring peace.' An unnamed US official cited by AP also said Hegseth will not participate in the meeting remotely. According to Politico sources, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker will represent Washington at the gathering, and Hegseth himself is slated to take part in a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday. Politico noted that Hegseth's absence is yet another sign of 'softening of the Trump administration's relationship with Europe, and Ukraine.' Under Trump, Washington has not announced new military assistance for Ukraine. The Trump administration has increasingly urged EU governments to reduce their reliance on Washington and increase their military spending. Hegseth himself has been skeptical of the US involvement in the Ukraine conflict. In February, he said that returning Ukraine to its 2014 borders was 'unrealistic' and that the country is unlikely to join NATO. Nevertheless, the Trump administration has positioned itself as the key mediator in the conflict, consistently pushing Russia and Ukraine to reach peace. Moscow has praised Washington's efforts, saying the US better understands Russia's key security concerns caused by Kiev's desire to join NATO and the bloc's creeping expansion towards Russian borders.
