An aircraft takes off to join the US-led coalition to conduct air strikes against Yemen from an undisclosed location, in this handout picture released on January 12, 2024. (US Central Command forces)

US lawmakers from both political parties expressed approval for the US strikes on alleged Ansar Allah targets, deeming them necessary and proportionate.

Some described the response to Yemen's attacks in the Red Sea as "long overdue", while others cautioned against potential escalation into a full-blown war in the region.

Meanwhile, prominent Republican senators called on the Biden administration to persist in implementing "robust measures against Iran and its affiliated groups, including the Houthis in Yemen."

On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their capability to continue their illegal and… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 12, 2024

“To restore deterrence and change Iran’s calculus, Iranian leaders themselves must believe that they will pay a meaningful price unless they abandon their worldwide campaign of terror,” Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, said in a statement, as reported by The New York Times.

On his part, Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican from Alabama and the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, emphasized that the airstrikes should serve as a deterrent for Ansar Allah and other "Iran-backed forces", underscoring the potential "catastrophic consequences" of any further escalation.

This comes amid Western media reports that any attacks on Yemen will not deter Sanaa.

Shortly after the United States and the United Kingdom carried out aerial aggression on multiple locations in Yemen, The Wall Street Journal mentioned that US officials anticipated that the Yemeni forces "may continue striking ships shortly after the U.S. strikes to signal they wouldn’t be deterred and continued to pose a threat to ships sailing in the Red Sea."

The New York Times cited US officials as saying that "there was a fear that strikes on Yemen could escalate into a tit-for-tat between American naval vessels" and the Yemeni forces. The newspaper also revealed that some US allies in the Middle East, including Qatar and Oman, had raised concerns that strikes "could spiral out of control and drag the region into a wider war."

On its part, The Washington Post considered that "Thursday’s strikes will almost certainly heighten tensions across the Middle East," adding that "some analysts were doubtful the operation would have the intended effect of curbing the Red Sea attacks."

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine and the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, aligned with fellow Republicans in expressing that the airstrikes were belated. Despite emphasizing the US preference to avoid escalation, she underscored the necessity of the response to deter attacks on US troops and reinstate "freedom of navigation."

Democrats, while welcoming the airstrikes, stressed the importance of preventing escalation and advocated for ongoing diplomatic initiatives.

Representative Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York and the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed support for what he termed as "targeted" and "proportional" military strikes.

“I call on the Biden Administration to continue its diplomatic efforts to avoid escalation to a broader regional war,” he said in a statement, as quoted by The New York Times.

Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island and the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, remarked that the airstrikes served as a clear indication that the United States is committed to safeguarding its interests completely disregarding the Red Seas'.

“Even as the Biden administration continues to take a balanced and sensible diplomatic approach, today’s military actions were necessary and proportional,” he added.

This comes shortly after US Air Forces Central announced in a press release that airstrikes in Yemen targeted over 60 sites associated with the Ansar Allah movement across 16 locations.

The strikes involved the utilization of over 100 precision-guided munitions of diverse types, as mentioned in the release.

The big picture

Following the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, Sanaa announced it would enforce a ban on Israeli and "Israel"-bound ships from crossing the Red and Arabian seas in support of the people of the Strip, currently facing an Israeli genocide with direct Washington support and complicity.

The United States, the UK, and France issued last week a "final warning" to Sanaa to stop its operations. But the latter refused to give in to foreign pressure regarding its support to Gaza and announced the attacks would continue until the Israeli genocide stops. The statement was made after the newly established US-led sea coalition, operating under Operation Prosperity Guardian, was fractured before carrying out a single joint operation.

As part of its campaign against Sanaa, the US attacked earlier this month Yemeni Naval Forces in the Red Sea, resulting in the martyrdom of 10 servicemembers.

Responding to threats of ending its operations in support of Gaza, Sanaa's top officials, including Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the defense minister, and the chief of armed forces, all confirmed that any attack on Yemen will be met with a direct, decisive, and large response.

Sanaa warned that the United States and any other party that gets involved in an aggression on the country would "regret their action," reaffirming that Yemen will not allow "anyone to prevent it" from "carrying out its humanitarian, ethical and religious duty toward Gaza" and will continue with its ban decision "no matter the challenges."