ABC News Exclusive: Joint Chiefs chairman says US goal in Red Sea is to deter Iran-backed Houthis

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown defends U.S. strategy against the Houthis, saying goal is deterrence.

The U.S.-led retaliatory strikes launched against Iranian-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea are intended to prevent future conflict, and the U.S. does not want to "go down a path of greater escalation," Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz in an exclusive interview.

Brown spoke with Raddatz as the Houthis stepped up their attacks Friday off the shores of Yemen, launching anti-ship ballistic missiles in two separate attacks. One missile hit a British-operated oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, setting it on fire.

The other missile was shot down by the U.S. Navy destroyer the USS Carney without causing damage.

You can see more of Martha Raddatz' exclusive interview with Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown Sunday on ABC's "This Week."