US Downs Missile Fired by Houthis Toward Red Sea as Biden Readies Response to Jordan Attack

Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship cruise missile from Yemen toward the Red Sea, the US military’s Central Command said on Tuesday, adding that an American destroyer in the area shot it down.

“On Jan. 30, at approximately 11:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship cruise missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea. The missile was shot down by USS Gravely (DDG 107). There were no injuries or damage reported,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) wrote on X.

‘Biden under pressure’

This comes days after three US service members were killed and at least 34 wounded in a drone attack by Iran-backed militants on US troops in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border. US President Joe Biden is under pressure for a strong response with Republicans accusing the Democratic president of letting American forces become sitting ducks.

On Tuesday, Biden said he has made up his mind on how to respond to a drone attack that killed US service members in Jordan. Biden, speaking to reporters as he left the White House on a campaign trip to Florida, did not elaborate on his decision, which came after consultations with top advisers at the White House. Biden said the United States does not need a wider war in the Middle East, echoing comments from other officials on Tuesday that the United States does not want a war with Iran.

Read More: ‘Hit Them Hard’: Calls for Retaliation Grow After US Troops Killed in Jordan Attack; Iran Denies Links

He has been weighing his options and the expectation has been that there will be retaliatory strikes, but the timing of the response has been unclear. “I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for,” said Biden. Biden replied “yes” when asked if he had decided how to respond to the attacks. Asked if Iran was responsible, Biden added: “I do hold … them responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons” to those who carried out the attacks.

There have been a total of 166 attacks on US military installations since Oct. 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, a US military official said. On Tuesday, Al-Asad Air Base in Western Iraq was targeted again by a single rocket. The three soldiers killed in the Jordan strike were the first US military fatalities in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out.

(With agency inputs)