Biden vows to continue Yemen strikes despite admitting ineffectiveness

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
18 Jan 2024 21:34

The Pentagon acknowledged that the US attempt to deter the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement has not succeeded so far.

President Joe Biden speaks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024, in Washington (AP Photo/Yuri Gripas)

President Joe Biden stated on Thursday that the United States would persist in conducting airstrikes in Yemen, despite acknowledging that the bombings have proven ineffective in deterring Yemeni operations targeting Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea, as reported by White House pool reporters.

"Well, when you say 'working' are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes," Biden said.

The United States has conducted another round of strikes against the Yemenis this morning, White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Thursday.

Moments ago, Pentagon press secretary Maj Gen Pat Ryder claimed to reporters that US-led strikes on Yemen had "degraded" the Yemeni forces' ability to carry out operations in the Red Sea, but acknowledged that the US attempt to deter the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement has not succeeded so far.

"We would not be surprised if we saw efforts on their part to continue to try to conduct retaliatory strikes," Ryder said.

Earlier in the day, a report issued by the Financial Times highlighted that the US is 'unreliable' when it comes to underpinning global maritime trade in light of the ongoing Yemeni operations against US, British, and Israeli interests in the Red Sea.

The Yemeni Ansar Allah movement has underlined that it is not in pursuit of any spoils or anything of the sort when it started targeting any Israeli-flagged ships and any ships bound for the Israeli regime; it had the clear aim of wanting to get aid delivered to Gaza and have "Israel" blockaded in a bid to force it to relent in its aggression on Gaza, saying repeatedly that their operations would stop as soon as aid is allowed into the blockaded war-torn Strip.

Even while spending 0.21% of its gross national income on patrolling shipping lanes, which has been beneficial for its goals in places such as off the coast of Somalia, the US would not be able to have that much of an effect on Yemen.

Financial Times columnist Alan Beattie argued that relying on the United States to protect Red Sea shipping routes is risky in a report titled "The world cannot depend on the US to keep trade peace," wherein he highlighted that Ansar Allah has land bases and sophisticated technologies, not to mention broad support from regional powerhouse Iran, while going into this full-well knowing it would incur them heavy losses.

Another report by Bloomberg pointed out that the aggressions carried out by the US and UK against the Yemeni resistance in the Red Sea have further intensified chaos within the shipping industry.

Following the US and UK's shift from an aggressive stance, known as Operation Prosperity Guardian, to launching airstrikes at Yemeni positions along the Yemeni coastline, Western navies issued advice for ships to maintain a safe distance. This recommendation was openly adhered to by the owners and operators of at least 2,300 merchant vessels, and certain insurers responded by imposing restrictions on coverage.

The result has been sharp declines in shipments through a waterway that would normally handle about 12% of global seaborne trade. Flows of oil, gas, grains, and manufactured goods have increasingly been diverted. Even a livestock carrier appeared to detour, raising animal welfare concerns.

Disruptions in the Red Sea are having a ripple effect on raw materials and consumer goods throughout the entire supply chain. The chaos has led to disruptions in the transportation of oil from countries such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia. At least six million barrels of crude from Iraq, a major supplier to Europe through the Bab el-Mandeb, have been redirected.