Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff: The U.S. Goal in the Red Sea is Solely to Deter Houthis, Not to Escalate Tensions

General Charles Brown, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that U.S.-led retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea are aimed at preventing conflict and escalating tensions in the future. In an interview set to air on Sunday on ABC, General Brown responded to criticisms that the Biden administration is not serious enough against these militants and the Islamic Republic of Iran, emphasizing, "Our goal is deterrence while protecting U.S. forces, not entering into a large-scale conflict and total war." In the conversation with ABC's senior correspondent Martha Raddatz, he also mentioned, "We cannot precisely predict how each of these Middle Eastern warlike groups will react to our actions, so our priority is to protect our forces and partners and to control these groups as much as possible." This interview comes as Iranian-backed Houthis increased their attacks on Friday along the Yemeni coast, launching two anti-ship ballistic missiles. One missile struck a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, igniting a fire, while the other was intercepted by a U.S. Navy destroyer without causing damage. The Houthis claim to have conducted over 30 attacks in the Red Sea since autumn in retaliation for U.S. and British support of Israel's war against Hamas. The U.S. Central Command has confirmed these attacks. In response to these assaults, the U.S. and its allies have attacked Houthi positions at least four times, and the White House has announced that it will re-list the group as an international terrorist organization. The British newspaper Telegraph reported on Wednesday, January 10, citing its intelligence sources within Iran, that the Houthi group has been trained at the "Khamenei Maritime Science and Technology University" in Zibakenar, Rasht, with direct oversight from Ali Khamenei. Continued Houthi attacks on ships; reports of two missiles exploding near the port of Aden. CENTCOM: U.S. destroyer intercepted missiles from Iranian-backed Houthis. McConnell: Stopping attacks on U.S. soldiers requires a direct threat to Iranian interests and IRGC officers. The U.S. and Britain sanctioned four senior military officials of the Houthi group. The U.S. stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran is neither democratic nor transparent; it suppresses to remain in power. The Houthis warned American and British citizens to leave Yemen within 30 days. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Houthis are being equipped with advanced weapons from Iran.