Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered strikes on the Houthis from the hospital using a 'full suite of secure communications'

• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered attacks on Houthis from the hospital, a defense official said.
• Austin was hospitalized after developing complications from prostate cancer treatment last month.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave the order to strike the Houthis in Yemen from the hospital on Thursday, using a "full suite of secure communication," CNN reported, quoting a senior defense official.

The US, alongside other allies like the UK, launched retaliatory military strikes against Houthi rebels in the early hours of Thursday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

The strikes came after repeated warnings from the US and UK over the Houthis' attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea.

"Secretary Austin gave CENTCOM the order today to execute the strikes and monitored real-time with a full suite of secure communications capabilities," the defense official said, per CNN.

Austin, who oversees the Defense Department, was hospitalized on January 1 after developing complications from a procedure to treat prostate cancer on December 22, according to a statement from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center officials.

The White House only learned of Austin's hospitalization on January 4 and his cancer diagnosis on January 9, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Austin's lack of transparency raised serious questions and prompted Democrat Chris Deluzio to call for his resignation.

The Pentagon launched an internal review on Monday to examine whether the Department of Defense has the appropriate policies in place to ensure an effective transfer of power and duties when the Secretary of Defense is not able to perform them.

According to the official quoted by CNN, Austin is still recovering in the hospital.

In the 72 hours before Thursday's strike, Austin had been coordinating and preparing the strikes with President Joe Biden and defense and security officials, the official told CNN.

The official added that this involved two exchanges with Biden and "multiple daily calls" with US Central Command commander Erik Kurilla, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown, and the National Security Council "to discuss response options and execution following the President's authorization."

On January 9 Austin also took part in a meeting with Brown and Kurilla "to monitor the Houthi's complex attack in maritime shipping lanes and the Operation Prosperity Guardian response," per the official.

This culminated in Austin's strike order on Thursday and an "initial post-strike assessment" with the National Security Council and others, the official said.