The Houthis have demonstrated an IMMENSE amount of resilience: Ret US Army major general

F. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT. THANK YOU, TREY. LET'S BRING IN RETIRED U.S. ARMY. MAJOR GENERAL JAMES "SPIDER". MARX. GENERAL MARX, THE PROGRESS THAT. THE HOUTHIS HAVE MADE REALLY. WITHIN THE LAST WEEK IS RATHER. STUNNING. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT. IRAN HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO PRO. SIDE A WHOLE -- PROVIDE A WHOLE. LOT OF SUPPORT TO ITS ALLIES, ITS PROXIES, BUT THE HOUTHIS ALL. OF A SUDDEN SEEM TO BE CLAIMING. A LOT OF KEY INSTALLATIONS.

THERE. >> JON, THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ROOK AT WHAT. THE HOUTHIS HAVE BEEN -- LOOK AT. WHAT THE HOUTHIS HAVE BEEN ABLE. TO ACCOMPLISH, THE FIRST AND. FOREMOST THING WE SHOULD REALIZE. IS THAT THEY'VE DEMONSTRATED AN. IMMENSE AMOUNT OF RESILIENCE. OVER THE COURSE OF YEARS. SAUDI ARABIA REALLY BEGAN A. CONCERTED EFFORT AGAINST THE. HOUTHIS BACK IN 2015. THAT'S BEEN ONGOING FOR THE. COURSE OF THESE 13 YEARS. THERE'S BEEN A CEASEFIRE IN.

REGULAR NUMB OVER THE COURSE OF. THE PAST FEW MONTHS. OBVIOUSLY, THE HOUTHIS HAVE. PICKED IT UP. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, THEY. GET THEIR SUPPORT FROM THE IRGC. IN IRAN. THAT HAS BEEN DIMINISHED. CONSIDERABLY, OBVIOUSLY, AS A. RESULT OF "EPIC FURY," BUT THE. STOCKPILES THAT THE HOUTHIS HAVE. AND THEIR ABILITY TO LOCALLY. MAINTAIN AND MANUFACTURE AND GET. SOME CAPABILITIES TOGETHER HAS. NOT BEENTY MIN INDENY. DIMINISHED. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT. NOW. A PUSH BY THE HOUTHIS REALLY.

SHOULD NOT SURPRISE US. TO BE VERY, VERY FRANK, IT'S. DIFFICULT TO BOMB SOMEBODY LIKE. THE HOUTHIS BACK INTO THE STONE. AGE WHEN THAT'S WHERE THEY LIVE. RIGHT NOW. JON: WOW. WELL, OBVIOUSLY, AS YOU. MENTIONED, SAUDI ARABIA HAS BEEN. BATTLING THE HOUTHIS FOR A LONG. TIME. PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS SOME. THOUGHTS ON WHO'S RESPONSIBLE. FOR THE ATTACK ON A SAUDI. PIPELINE THIS WEEK. LISTEN. >> Reporter: IS IRAN. RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTACK ON. THE EAST-WEST PIPELINE, AND WHAT. DO YOU THINK SAUDI ARABIA IS.

GOING TO DO? >> WELL, I THINK THEY ARE, PROBABLY THEY ARE, YOU KNOW? THEY'RE ON THE BALLS OF THEIR. FEET RIGHT NOW, BUT I THINK THEY. ARE. THEY'VE BEEN IN CHARGE FOR THAT. FOR A WHILE. WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS. THE YOU -- THE HOUTHIS CALLED. US, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO FIGHT. WITH US. THEY LET US KNOW THEY DON'T WANT. TO FIGHT WITH US. THEY DON'T WANT ME TO GO. AFTER -- THEY DON'T WANT US TO. GO AFTER THEM. BUT THEY'VE CALLED AND THEY'VE. TALKED TO US, AND THEY DON'T. WANT US -- THEY WOULD MUCH. PREFER NOT HAVING US INVOLVED.

JON: SO THE HOUTHIS DON'T WANT. THE U.S. INVOLVED, BUT WHAT. ABOUT SAUDI ARABIA? WHY DOESN'T SAUDI ARABIA DO MORE. TO ROOT OUT THIS PROBLEM THAT IS. CAUSING TROUBLE FOR SAUDI. ARABIA? >> WELL, I THINK SAUDI ARABIA IS. DOING WHAT THEY CAN RIGHT NOW, JON. IT'S VERY OBVIOUS THAT THIS. TARGET, THE HOUTHIS, WHERE THEY. ARE, THEIR CAPABILITIES, THE. CONTROL THAT THEY HAVE IS REALLY. DEPENDENT UPON THEIR, THE FACT. THAT THEY ARE DEEPLY 'EM.

EMBEDDED, THEY'RE IN AN. INCREDIBLY MOUNTAINOUS PIECE OF. TERRAIN. THEY'VE BEEN THERE FOR YEARS. AS INDICATED, THEY'VE GOTTEN A. LOT OF SUPPORT FROM IRAN. SO THE SAUDIS ARE WORK AT THIS. PROBLEM, BUT THEY NOT ONLY NEED. TO WORK AGAINST THE HOUTHI. PROBLEM, THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO. HARDEN THE FACILITIES THAT THEY. HAVE BECAUSE THE HOUTHIS WILL. STILL BE ABLE TO POP UP AND. CONDUCT SOME OPERATIONS THAT'LL. BE VERY DESTRUCTIVE AGAINST THE. SAUDI ARABIANS. THEY, THE SAUDIS, WILL CONTINUE. TO WORK ON THAT EFFORT. I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO ASK THE.

UNITED STATES, IF THEY HAVE NOT. ALREADY, FOR SUPPORT. WE CERTAINLY HAVE PRESENCE IN. THE VICINITY OF THE BAB. EL-MANDEB STRAIT RIGHT THERE IN. THE RED SEA AND WITH THE GW IN. THE REGION AND THE ADDITIONAL. CARRIER STRIKE GROUP WHICH IS ON. THE WAY. WE'LL HAVE INCREASED CAPACITY TO. PROVIDE SOME SUPPORT AS. NECESSARY. BUT THE NUMBER ONE TARGET STILL. REMAINS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AND. FREE PASSAGE IN AND OUT. THAT'S WHAT'S BEING CONTESTED, I. THINK, PRIMARILY.

JASON: LISTEN TO JAY CLAYTON --. JON: LISTEN TO JAY CLAYTON, THE. DIRECTER OF NATIONAL. INTELLIGENCE, ON THE IRANIAN. NUCLEAR THREAT. IT WAS CONCERNS OVER THEIR. ABILITY TO DELIVER A NUCLEAR. WEAPON. >> WHAT IF THAT COUNTRY THAT'S. FUNDING THE HOUTHIS, THAT IS. FUNDING TERRORISTS AROUND THE. WORLD, WHAT IF THEY HAD A. NUCLEAR WEAPON? I THINK EVERY AMERICAN HAS TO. RECOGNIZE THAT THEY JUST CAN'T. I AM CONVINCED THAT THE LEADERS.

OF IRAN -- NOW, WE'RE NOT. TALKING ABOUT THE IRANIAN. PEOPLE. I AM CONVINCED THAT THE LEADERS. OF IRAN WOULD DO WHATEVER THEY. COULD TO HARM WESTERN. CIVILIZATION, HARM AMERICANS. JON: HAS THAT ABILITY BEEN. DEGRADE OR EVEN TO ELIMINATED, DO YOU THINK, GENERAL? >> I THINK IT'S BEEN DELAYED, ABSOLUTELY, AS A RESULT OF THE. ATTACKS LAST SUMMER AND THE. ATTACKS THAT ARE ONGOING RIGHT. NOW ATTENDANT TO "EPIC FURY.". IT HAS BEEN TREMENDOUSLY. DELAYED. BUT, JON, THE DIFFICULTY IS IF.

IRAN WANTS TO GET ITS HANDS ON. AN ICBM, A LONG-RANGE MISSILE, WHETHER IT'S NUCLEARIZED OR NOT, THEY CAN GET ONE FROM RUSSIA, THEY CAN GET ONE FROM CHINA. THAT'S THE PRIMARY CONCERN. WHAT THE IRANIANS WANT TO DO IS. HAVE AN ORGANIC ABILITY TO. PRODUCE THAT. I GOT THAT. THAT HAS A MUCH LONGER HORIZON. THAN SIMPLY GETTING A DELIVERY. FROM RUSSIA. THAT'S THE PRIMARY CONCERN. SO YOU ADD THAT TO WHAT. MR. CLAYTON SAID, ABSOLUTELY. CORRECT. IF YOU ADD THE FACT THAT THEY. COULD HAVE A LONG-RANGE MISSILE.

PRETTY QUICKLY BASED ON. RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS, THEN. YOU'VE GOT TO LOOK AT THE. DEVELOPMENT, THE NUCLEARIZATION. OF THEIR MILITARY. DO THEY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO PUT. A NUCLEAR WARHEAD ON THE TOP OF. THAT. THE COMBINATION OF THOSE TWO IS. WHAT IS EXISTENTIAL. SO YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO APPLY. PRESSURE BOTH ON THE MISSILE. DEVELOPMENT, THE INTERNAL. MILITARIZATION OF NUKES AND THE. ECONOMIC SANCTIONS THAT WE SEE. RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE PRIMARY.

FOCUS ON THOSE ECONOMIC. SANCTIONS, CERTAINLY, IS TO DRY. UP THE IRANIAN REGIME ABILITY TO. EXECUTE AND SUPPORT PROXIES LIKE. THE HOUTHIS AND HEZBOLLAH. BUT THE REAL ISSUE IS IF YOU CAN. APPLY AND HAVE EFFECTIVE. SECONDARY AND TERTIARY. SANCTIONS, YOU NOW CAN BEGIN TO. REALLY AFFECT THE ECONOMICS OF. THE REGIME AND THEIR ABILITY TO. CONDUCT THESE KINDS OF. MANUFACTURING AND DEVELOPMENT. CAPABLES THAT REALLY ARE AN. EXISTENTIAL THREAT NOT ONLY TO.

THE REGION, BUT CERTAINLY TO OUR. PARTNERS IN EUROPE AND THE. CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES. JON: RETIR.