US targets Houthi radar sites in Yemen after sailor disappears

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 1 minute read

US military targets Houthi radar sites in Yemen after merchant marine disappears

The United States has launched a new wave of attacks against the Houthis as the rebel group continues to target Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea.

The US military has launched a wave of attacks targeting radar sites operated by Yemen's Houthi rebels following their attacks on ships in the crucial Red Sea corridor, authorities said on Saturday, after the disappearance of a merchant seaman following an earlier Houthi strike on a ship.

The attacks come as the U.S. Navy faces its most intense fight since World War II in an attempt to counter the Houthis' campaign – attacks that rebels say are aimed at ending the war in 'Israel against Gaza.

US strikes destroyed seven radars in Houthi-controlled territory, the military's Central Command said. He did not give details on how the sites were destroyed and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

“These radars allow the Houthis to target maritime vessels and endanger commercial shipping,” the central command said in a statement.

The United States separately destroyed two bomb-laden drones in the Red Sea, as well as a drone launched by the Houthis over the waterway, it said.

The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen's capital Sanaa since 2014, have acknowledged neither the strikes nor the military losses. This is a typical situation since the United States began launching airstrikes against the rebels.

Separately, the central command said a commercial sailor from the Liberian-flagged Greek bulk carrier Tutor remained missing after an attack on Wednesday by the Houthis who used a bomb-carrying drone to hit the vessel.

“The crew abandoned ship and were rescued by the USS Philippine Sea and partner forces,” Central Command said. The “Tutor remains in the Red Sea and is slowly taking on water”.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on ships, killed three sailors, seized one ship and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. A US-led airstrikes campaign has targeted the Houthis since January, with a series of strikes on May 30 killing at least 16 people and wounding 42 others, according to the rebels.