The United States House Committee on Homeland Security held on Wednesday a hearing (closed session) to examine the persistent, malicious, and growing activity by Iranian-backed terrorist groups, such as Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis, and the near- and long-term implications for U.S. homeland security.
Testimonies were provided by Elizabeth Richard, ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism; Robert Wells, assistant director of the Counterterrorism Division at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); James Dunlap, deputy undersecretary for analysis at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A); and Carrie Thompson, chief of intelligence at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
In his opening statement the House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark E. Green said” the Islamic Republic of Iran presents a clear and present danger to the United States homeland and our allies”, adding “Since our last hearing pertaining to the threats posed by Iran, the security threats from Iran and their proxies have metastasized even more.”
Congressman Green noticed that the Houthi rebels has been a long-time proxy for the Iranian regime and have conducted operations that target U.S. partners in the Persian Gulf, and shown evidence that Iran has provided the Houthis with unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with explosives and long-range missiles.
He also noticed that the Houthis recently targeted western commercial ships with anti-ship missiles, not only killed innocent commercial sailors but have created significant delays in supply chains that will eventually cause the prices of goods to rise. pose to the homeland and U.S. interests. I look forward to our witnesses’ testimony today and thank them all for being here.