US missile strikes knock out three coastal radar sites in Yemen

Muscat: ​US military launched cruise missile strikes on Thursday to knock out three coastal radar sites in areas of Yemen controlled by Houthi forces, retaliating after failed missile attacks this week on a US Navy destroyer, US officials said.
The strikes, authorised by President Barack Obama, are Washington’s first direct military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen.
Still, the Pentagon appeared to stress the limited nature of the strikes, which were aimed at radar that enabled the launch of at least three missiles against the US Navy ship USS Mason since Sunday. “These limited self-defence strikes were conducted to protect our personnel, our ships, and our freedom of navigation,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.
US 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 targeted radar sites were in remote areas where the risk of civilian casualties was low.
The official identified the areas in Yemen where the radar were located as: near Ras Isa, north of Mukha and near Khoka.
The failed missile attacks on the USS Mason - the latest of which took place on Wednesday - appeared to be part of the reaction to a suspected Saudi-led strike on mourners gathered in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa.
US officials told Reuters there were growing indications that Houthi fighters, or forces aligned with them, were responsible for Sunday’s attempted strikes, in which two coastal cruise missiles designed to target ships failed to reach the destroyer.
The missile incidents, along with an October 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 Houthis, who are allied to Hadi’s predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, have the support of many army units and control most of the north, including the capital, Sanaa.