Pentagon: ‘Would Not Be Surprised’ if Houthis Keep Attacking

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Your World,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder discussed strikes on the Houthis — which were followed by further strikes later in the day that took place after the interview — and stated that despite U.S. strikes, the Houthis have “additional capabilities,” and we  “would not be surprised if we see other attacks in the future.”

Host Neil Cavuto asked, [relevant exchange begins around 1:00] “I understand, maybe from your briefing earlier, sir, that the U.S. has, at this point, destroyed or degraded more than 25 missile facilities since January 11. They’ve had follow-up attacks. So, the fear is, they’ve got other means or areas from which they can attack us. I know that’s sort of like a pin-prick strategy, you can’t get to all pin sites. But what do you say about their ability to attack, U.S. elements, shipping interests in the Red Sea now? How much has that been degraded?”

Ryder answered, “Yeah, so, as you highlight, since January 11, we assess that we have successfully destroyed or degraded over 20 missiles and 25 missile launch and deployment facilities, as well as a variety of other capabilities, to include coastal radars, unmanned aerial vehicles, aerial surveillance, and weapons storage areas. So, all of that combines to degrade and disrupt their ability to conduct these kinds of attacks going forward. Now, we do know that the Houthis maintain capabilities, additional capabilities, and would not be surprised if we see other attacks in the future. But what we’re doing here is putting a cost on those attacks and essentially making it very clear that there will be consequences. So, going forward, we’ll continue to work with the international community to, again, put this pressure on the Houthis, with the ultimate goal being that the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are safe and secure for international shipping.”

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