WASHINGTON
Recent US strikes on the Houthi rebel group in Yemen are "not an endless offensive" and "not about regime change in the Middle East," the chief Pentagon spokesman said on Monday.
"We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. With that said, and this is a very important point, this is also not an endless offensive. This is not about regime change in the Middle East. This is about putting American interests first," Sean Parnell told a news briefing.
The US launched airstrikes on Houthis on Saturday, killing at least 53 people, as President Donald Trump warned that “hell will rain down” if the group continues attacks on Red Sea shipping.
Addressing reporters along with Parnell, Joint Staff Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich said over 30 targets were hit on the first day.
Without giving additional information, Grynkewich said additional targets were hit both on Sunday and Monday.
Parnell said Houthis firing ballistic missiles and some one way attack drones against US forces in the region were "largely ineffective."
Firing at US military personnel in the region, and shooting at the US ships and drones and putting American lives at risk is "not a good way to end this conflict," he said.
"The Houthis can determine when this ends, and until then, the campaign will be unrelenting, until we one protect our homeland and two open up the shipping lanes there, so make sure we have freedom of maneuver in that area," Parnell added.
When asked whether Iranian ships helping the Houthis will be targeted, the spokesman said: "All options are on the table".
The Houthis have been attacking Israeli-linked ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones since late 2023, disrupting global trade for what it said was a show of solidarity with the Gaza Strip.
The group halted attacks when a Gaza ceasefire was declared in January between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. But it threatened to resume the attacks when Israel blocked all aid into Gaza on March 2.