Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the U.S. could strike the Houthis inside Yemen if their attacks on shipping lanes — and U.S. personnel or ships specifically — continue.

The Iran-backed Yemeni militia group fired missiles that hit a commercial fuel tanker in the Red Sea on Wednesday, the latest in a series of attacks on regional shipping lanes that have prompted intervention from U.S. warships in the region.

“If the attacks continue, particularly to American troops or ships, etc., I think that you’ll see us going right back at them,” Meeks told JI.

The Biden administration has faced criticism from Republicans that it has been hesitant to retaliate militarily against Iran and Iranian proxy groups when they strike U.S. military installations in the Middle East.

“I think that the president is doing the right thing,” Meeks added, when asked if he thinks the U.S. should reinstate the Houthis’ designation as a terrorist group. “The president is retaliating and going back and letting them know, unequivocally, ‘You better stop it. You continue this, you’re going to suffer the consequences.’ I think that’s what needs to be done.”