Pentagon chief leads strikes in Yemen from his hospital bed – CNN

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin ordered and controlled strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen from the hospital “using the full range of secure communications capabilities.” CNN reported this on the evening of Friday, January 12, citing a statement from a senior Pentagon official.

“Today, Secretary Austin issued the strike order to CENTCOM and is monitoring the situation in real time through a full range of secure communications,” the Pentagon said.

It added that after the strikes, he spoke with the National Security Council, chairman and commander of CENTCOM to conduct a preliminary assessment of the impact of the strikes.

The publication recalls that Austin has been in the hospital since January 1 after he experienced complications following surgery to treat prostate cancer on December 22.

A defense official said that between Tuesday and Thursday night, Austin spoke twice with President Joe Biden and had “several daily calls” with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Charles Brown, US Central Command commander Gen. Eric Kuryla and the National Security Council “to discuss options for response and implementation after presidential approval.”

For the past 72 hours, he has been “actively involved in the administration and management of today’s strikes,” a defense spokesman said.

We remind you that tonight the United States and Britain launched strikes against the Houthis. Later, US President Joe Biden issued a statement on this matter. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also confirmed that the British air force had carried out targeted strikes on military targets.