US delivered private message to Iran about Houthi attacks: Biden
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US President Joe Biden speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden said on Jan 13 that the United States had delivered a private message to Iran about Iran-backed Houthis responsible for attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
“We delivered it privately and we’re confident we’re well-prepared,” Mr Biden told reporters at the White House, before departing to the Camp David presidential retreat for the weekend.
The Houthi movement threatened a “strong and effective response” after the US carried out another strike in Yemen
The latest strike, which the US said hit a radar site, came a day after dozens of US and British strikes on Houthi facilities in Yemen.
White House spokesman John Kirby said on Jan 12 that the initial strikes hit the Houthis’ ability to store, launch and guide missiles or drones, which the group has used to threaten shipping. He said Washington had no interest in a war with Yemen.
Mr Biden, whose administration removed the Houthis from a State Department list of “foreign terrorist organisations” in 2021, was asked by reporters on Jan 12 whether he felt the term “terrorist” described the movement now.
“I think they are,” Mr Biden said. REUTERS
