The United States attacked a Houthi radar site in Yemen this Friday. Just the day before, U.S. military forces, along with those of five other nations, had attacked targets in a territory controlled by the rebel group for the first time.
This time, the aircraft carrier USS Carney (DDG 64) fired on a terrorist group radar site, in response to Houthi attacks the previous day. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) also explained in a post that the new operation was aimed at damaging Houthi military infrastructure to protect maritime navigation.
"Since Nov. 19, 2023, Iranian-backed Houthi militants have attempted to attack and harass vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden 28 times," CENTCOM explained. "These illegal incidents include attacks that have employed anti-ship ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles."
Both the Houthis and their sponsor, Iran, promised retaliation if the United States continued the attacks. In interviews after the last attack broadcast by the official Iranian agency IRNA, officials linked to the group criticized the effectiveness of the U.S. attack and promised to continue attacking ships - or other targets - that they considered to be linked to Israel, in response to its offensive in Gaza.
