Early yesterday morning, US forces struck and destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles. These missiles were prepared to launch from Yemen and presented an imminent threat to both merchant and US Navy ships in the region. But the threat was not neutralized.
Hours later, Houthi rebels launched one of those missiles into international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea. A Maltese-flagged bulk carrier was hit but continued its transit. No one was injured.
Today, the Biden administration redesignated the Iranian-backed militants as global terrorists.
This comes as White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan yesterday at the World Economic Forum warned that “we are on a path of escalation that we have to manage.”