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WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. military launched cruise missile strikes on …
WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters)
- The U.S. military launched cruise missile strikes on Thursday to
knock out three coastal radar sites in areas of Yemen controlled by
Iran-aligned Houthi forces, retaliating after failed missile attacks
this week on a U.S. Navy destroyer, U.S. officials said.
The strikes, authorized by President Barack Obama, represent
Washington’s first direct military action against Houthi-controlled
targets in Yemen’s conflict.
Still, the Pentagon appeared to stress the defensive nature of the
strikes, which were aimed at radar that enabled the launch of at least
three missiles against the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason since Sunday.
“These limited self-defense strikes were conducted to protect our
personnel, our ships, and our freedom of navigation,” Pentagon spokesman
Peter Cook said.
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said U.S. Navy
destroyer USS Nitze launched the Tomahawk cruise missiles around 4 a.m.
local (0100 GMT).
“These radars were active during previous attacks and attempted
attacks on ships in the Red Sea,” including the USS Mason, one of the
officials said, adding the sites were in remote areas where the risk of
civilian casualties was low.
The official identified the areas in Yemen where the radar were targeted as: near Ras Isa, north of Mukha and near Khoka.
The missile attacks on the USS Mason - the latest of which took place
earlier on Wednesday - appeared to be the Houthis’ response to a
suspected Saudi-led strike on mourners gathered in Yemen’s Houthi-held
capital Sanaa.
Michael Knights, an expert on Yemen’s conflict at the Washington
Institute for Near East Policy, suggested the Houthis, fighters from a
Shi’ite sect, could be becoming more militarily aligned with groups such
as Lebanon’s Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah.
“Targeting U.S. warships is a sign that the Houthis have decided to
join the axis of resistance that currently includes Lebanese Hezbollah,
Hamas and Iran,” Knight said.
The missile incidents, along with an Oct. 1 strike on a vessel from
the United Arab Emirates, add to questions about safety of passage for
military ships around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s
busiest shipping routes.
The Pentagon warned against any future attacks.
“The United States will respond to any further threat to our ships and commercial traffic, as appropriate,” Cook said.
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