The White House said Sunday it is not seeking a wider conflict in the Middle East but will continue acting in its own self-defense.
“We don't seek a conflict wider in the region and we're not looking for a conflict with the Houthis. The best outcome here would be for the Houthis to stop these attacks, as we have made clear over and over again,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told ABC News.
“We've got significant national security interests in the region just on our own, the United States, and we're going to put the kind of forces we need in the region to protect those interests and we're going to act in self-defense going forward,” he added.
Asked about the prospect of a preemptive strike in the region, Kirby repeated the White House stance and said, “We're not ruling anything in or out, but we have made it clear publicly to the Houthis and privately to our allies and partners in the region we take these threats seriously, and we're going to make the right decisions going forward.”
His comments came after US helicopters sank three Houthi boats in the Red Sea. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the container ship Maersk Hangzhou issued a second distress call in less than 24 hours reporting being under attack by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats.
The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel. A contract embarked security team on the ship returned fire.
The helicopters sank the boats and killed those aboard, marking the first occasion since tensions broke out earlier this year that the US has killed members of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group, which has been targeting commercial and merchant vessels in the Red Sea.
The incident came hours the USS Gravely missile destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles while responding to a Houthi attack on a merchant vessel.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have upped their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the Israel-Hamas was on October 7.
Recently, the Houthi rebels threatened to attack any vessels heading to Israeli ports unless food and medicine were allowed into the Gaza Strip.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last week officially announced the creation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a maritime task force set up by the US and allies to respond to the Houthi provocations.
Later, the Pentagon said a total of more than 20 countries have agreed to participate in the new US-led coalition.
Maersk had previously announced it would be pausing all container shipments through the Red Sea due to the Houthi attacks, but reversed its decision after the formation of the US-led coalition.