According to US Central Command, the US Navy deployed cruise missiles late Friday night against a radar post in Yemen used by Houthi insurgents to target commercial and navy ships in the Red Sea.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney launched Tomahawk land attack missiles at the radar facility a day after US and British forces targeted 28 sites in Yemen. These locations housed radar stations, drones, and anti-ship missiles.
The initial intelligence revealed that the first attacks had hit their targets, according to Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Staff. However, following the attack, the Houthis launched an anti-ship missile into the Red Sea.
The strikes mark a substantial increase in US engagement in the Middle East in the midst of Israel’s assault in Gaza and may be the most hazardous escalation of a conflict that threatens to spread across the region. Just a few days ago, Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched his fourth urgent Mideast expedition in three months, aimed at mitigating the effects of the current bloodshed.
Since late November, the Houthis, who control a portion of Yemen, have assaulted important shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden 28 times. According to the Houthis, the attacks are in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
Following the commercial maritime attacks, several major shipping lines, notably Maersk, have diverted ships sailing west to the longer, more expensive route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. The Pentagon responded by launching a multi-nation campaign to secure the Red Sea, which maritime companies use to reach the Suez Canal.
However, it was a Houthi strike combining drones and missiles on Tuesday that frightened the Pentagon and precipitated the recent US-led attacks in Yemen.