The United States is considering direct strikes on military installations by Yemen’s Houthi rebel group in response to increasing attacks on military and commercial ships in the Red Sea. This information was reported by the Russian state news agency Tass about the American news website Semaphore.

Officials from the administration of US President Joe Biden told Semaphore that the Houthis are trying to undermine the global maritime trade system by reducing trade with Israel and increasing the cost to the US and its allies of supporting Tel Aviv. This is why they are worried.

U.S. officials say they are considering an attack on the Houthis despite fears of a wider war against Iran and its proxies. However, since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war on October 7, the Biden administration has been talking about keeping this war inside Gaza.

“As we have demonstrated in the past … our military will not hesitate to act where necessary and appropriate,” Pentagon spokesman Gen. Patrick Ryder said of the Houthi attack on Washington this week. This includes providing protection against threats against our forces in the maritime domain.

Since the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war, Yemen’s Houthi rebel group has made clear its position in support of Hamas. The pro-Palestinian group has started to take direct military action not only in words but also like the Arab Sunni states. Following this, Houthi members have been attacking and seizing Israeli-owned ships in the Red Sea. The group has fired drones and missiles at US military ships. They even warned that any ship bound for Israel in the Arabian and Red Seas would be considered a legitimate target for their attacks. In such a situation, the US Department of Defense is thinking of direct attacks targeting Houthi military installations.

Earlier last week, US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan told reporters that Washington is discussing with other countries the formation of a maritime task force to ensure the safe passage of ships in the Red Sea.

However, in response to Jack Sullivan’s proposal, Houthi ally Iran said that such an army would face dire problems there. Last Thursday, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani told the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA), the official news agency, that they would face dire problems if they took such an unreasonable step. Referring to the Red Sea, he said, “No one can do such things in the region where we have dominion.”