Despite President Joe Biden's assertions about, frequent warnings to, and limited counterstrikes in response to Iran-backed proxies in the Middle East, terrorists are not showing signs of being deterred from ramping up their attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea or U.S. outposts and personnel in the region.
On Monday, Houthi rebels in Yemen launched an attack on "a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship," striking the vessel with an anti-ship ballistic missile though "no injuries or significant damage" was reported by its crew that continued along its journey.
According to U.S. Central Command, the strike came after an anti-ship ballistic missile was detected near the shipping lanes in the Red Sea that failed to make it off the coast and fell inside Yemen.
On Jan. 15 at approximately 4 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The ship has… pic.twitter.com/gixEMaUiVT
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 15, 2024
This strike came despite strikes launched by the U.S. and U.K. last week that clearly failed to deter continued aggression from the Houthis that has created a significant blockade of the Red Sea and diverted global shipping traffic, driving up costs and time necessary to transport goods. Unsurprisingly, so-called "proportional" counterstrikes by the United States and its allies are not making it so that the Houthis and other Iran-backed terrorists feel the cost of continued attacks outweighs the benefit of its strikes.
The restrictions put on US targeting in Yemen need to come off. Iranian targets need to come on as well. https://t.co/E5XsZ0yvhO
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) January 15, 2024
Hours after the Houthi attack on the U.S.-owned shipping vessel in the Red Sea, strikes rocked Erbil, Iraq, with multiple explosions around the U.S. consulate in the northern city. According to ABC News, "eight locations were targeted" near the American outpost leaving four people killed in the attack, though none were "coalition forces or American forces."
Alarmingly, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps "quickly took responsibility" for the strike — as Iran is apparently no longer interested in attempting to thinly cloak its ambitions behind one of its terror proxies.
The Iranian Regime has taken responsibility for shooting ballistic missiles from Iran at our consulate and base.
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) January 15, 2024
Enough is enough. This will continue until America hits back in a way that hurts Iran directly. https://t.co/Subru6Horo
According to U.S. Officials, the Ballistic Missile Attack which Struck near the U.S. Consulate within the City of Erbil in Northern Iraq appears to have been launched Directly by the IRGC from Iranian Territory.
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 15, 2024
Today’s events further confirm that Biden’s Iran policy has failed. IRGC and its proxies are attacking at will. Not deterred. Long past the time for @CENTCOM to strike IRGC military assets. Will @POTUS give the order?
— Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) January 15, 2024
Would now be a good time to freeze the $10 billion Biden is giving Iran?
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) January 15, 2024
The strikes on Monday come the day President Joe Biden called a lid before 3:00 p.m. and while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is laid up convalescing in bed after a two-week hospitalization that saw him go incapacitated for days without the president's knowledge.
This is a developing story and may be updated.