'We Can't Solve All the World's Problems': Abe Hamadeh Discusses Fighting the Houthis

Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) discussed the ongoing battle with the Houthis in Yemen during a recent appearance on The Afternoon Addiction with Garret Lewis, saying that while the United States is an ally of Saudi Arabia, which is doing most of the fighting, "we cannot solve all the world's problems."

What Hamadeh is Saying

Posting a clip of the interview on X, Rep. Hamadeh said he was familiar with the Houthi movement from his service in the U.S. Army and his time stationed in Saudi Arabia.

"I was serving in the U.S. Army; I was serving in Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis were firing missiles at us," he began, adding, "You know, these missiles are hundreds of miles away. This is not an RPG. Like, these are ballistic missiles, and I'm like, 'Well, how does this random ragtag group have this?' Well, it's because Iran is funding, it's giving to them. They do not take orders from Iran. They are separate, but they are heavily influenced by the Iranians, so they are a problem."

Rep. Hamadeh further noted that Saudi Arabia is doing most of the fighting, but even with pouring $60 billion into their military, the Houthis remain stubborn "because they are in the mountains... It's like a cell, kind of like ISIS, right? It took a while for us to get rid of ISIS."

The Arizona congressman suggested the success in eradicating the Islamic State was not just through air superiority, but through the efforts of various Kurdish forces.

Hamadeh concluded by saying, "I don't know exactly what President Trump sees the role [of the U.S.] in with the Houthis, but Saudi Arabia is an ally of ours. I wish them well because the Houthis are disrupting the global trade through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, but we cannot solve all the world's problems, so we've got to prioritize America as well, and that is going to be a series of weighing the pros and cons of it before we get ourselves more involved in any type of conflict."

Previous Statements on the Houthis

In September, Hamadeh spoke for action against the Houthis after they successfully captured the Yemeni port city of Mocha, saying, "The Houthis must face decisive consequences, and Tehran must understand that the era of attacking America and our allies through proxies is over. America First doesn't mean America alone."

Last week, he condemned the attack on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which killed an American, posting, "Now, more than ever, our allies in the region must stand united against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its terrorist proxies. This aggression must be met with maximum strength and maximum deterrence. The era of radical terrorist proxies must come to an end."