The United States military has launched a series of attacks on radar sites operated by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in response to their ongoing assaults on shipping in the critical Red Sea corridor, authorities announced on Saturday.
This escalation follows an incident where a merchant sailor went missing after a Houthi strike on a ship.
The U.S. Navy is now engaged in its most intense combat operations since World War II to counter the Houthi campaign. The rebels claim their attacks aim to disrupt the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.
However, these assaults frequently target ships and sailors unrelated to the war, severely affecting the vital shipping corridor between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
According to Central Command, U.S. strikes successfully destroyed seven radar sites within Houthi-controlled territory.
“These radars allow the Houthis to target maritime vessels and endanger commercial shipping,” Central Command stated.
The military did not provide specifics on how the radar sites were destroyed and did not immediately respond to requests for further details from The Associated Press.
In addition to the radar strikes, the U.S. military also destroyed two bomb-laden drone boats and a drone launched by the Houthis over the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014, did not acknowledge the strikes or report any military losses. This lack of acknowledgment has been consistent since the U.S. began its airstrike campaign against the rebels.
Central Command also reported that one commercial sailor from the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk cargo carrier Tutor remains missing following a Houthi attack on Wednesday.
The vessel was struck by a bomb-carrying drone boat, prompting the crew to abandon ship and be rescued by the USS Philippine Sea and partner forces. The Tutor remains in the Red Sea, slowly taking on water.
Since November, the Houthis have launched over 50 attacks on shipping, resulting in three sailor deaths, the seizure of one vessel, and the sinking of another, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. The U.S. has been conducting airstrikes against the Houthis since January, with significant casualties reported in a series of strikes on May 30.
The conflict in the Gaza Strip has claimed more than 37,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza health officials, with additional casualties from Israeli operations in the West Bank. The violence erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.
“The Houthis claim to be acting on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, yet they are targeting and threatening the lives of third-country nationals who have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza,” Central Command said.
“The ongoing threat to international commerce caused by the Houthis makes it harder to deliver badly needed assistance to the people of Yemen as well as Gaza.”
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