The latest attacks by the Houthi army against commercial targets in the Red Sea have led to sharp criticism from several US officials against President Joe Biden, the website Politico published today (Tuesday).
The criticism that was registered comes against the background of an attack on three commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which provoked a response from the American destroyer Carney, which shot down a number of drones. In the US Department of Defense, including National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan, they believe that it cannot be said with certainty that the attack was directed against American targets. This was also reported by a number of sources in the Pentagon.
Washington is not interested in regional escalation
But at the same time, a number of government officials believe that the American naval forces in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea are under threat. According to an official at the Ministry of Defense who criticized the president's conduct, "If our ships see that something is approaching them or toward them, it can be assessed as a threat and thwarted."
Another source claimed that the administration is reducing the severity of the situation in the Red Sea to prevent an escalation of tensions in an area that is already in conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Another official reinforced his words after claiming that the White House did not specifically say that the destroyer Carney was the target of the attack, according to him "out of the desire to avoid unnecessary escalation." The same official was somewhat reserved and claimed that the US left room for maneuver and did not completely rule out that "Carney" was not the target of an attack, "We do not hesitate to act against forces or militias that may threaten our forces", he claimed.
In a conversation with reporters, Sullivan noted that US officials are in talks with other countries about establishing a joint "maritime task force" that will monitor the area, which will include a number of American ships and ships from other countries in order to ensure "safe passage of ships in the Red Sea".