Yemen’s Houthis undeterred by strikes, senior US Navy commander says

MANAMA, Bahrain — Yemen’s Houthi rebels remain undeterred from attacking international commercial shipping more than a month into a US-led campaign of airstrikes aimed at knocking out their capabilities, the top US Navy officer overseeing the effort told Al-Monitor.

“The Houthis right now are continuing their terrorist activities despite our actions,” Vice Adm. George Wikoff said during his first press interview since taking the helm of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet based in Bahrain earlier this month.

On Sunday, the United States and the UK launched a fourth wave of allied-backed airstrikes on 18 Houthi military targets across Yemen, including missile and drone stockpiles as well as radar sites. Hours earlier, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile toward a US-owned chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

Since taking command of the US 5th Fleet on Feb. 2, Wikoff has overseen the campaign of US-led strikes authorized by President Joe Biden in early January to disrupt the Houthis’ ability to conduct such attacks.