The US carried out further strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, according to a US official, a day after launching a coordinated multi-nation attack on nearly 30 Houthi locations.
The additional strikes carried out Friday night were much smaller in scope and targeted a radar facility used by the Houthis, the official said.
The Houthis had fired at least one anti-ship ballistic missile toward a commercial vessel earlier Friday, Director of the Joint Staff Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims II said Friday.
On Thursday, the US and UK struck 28 separate Houthi sites in an attempt to disrupt their ability to fire upon international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The two countries were also backed by Canada, Australia, Bahrain, and the Netherlands.
The latest strike was carried out unilaterally by the United States, the official said.
The US had threatened the possibility of additional military action if the Houthis continued to carry out drone and missile attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
“We will make sure we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies,” President Joe Biden said Friday while in Pennsylvania.
But after the US-led strikes, the Iran-backed rebel group launched another anti-ship ballistic missile toward a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen.
It was not immediately clear whether the additional US strikes were in response to the anti-ship ballistic missile launch or marked a continuation of the previous attacks, after the US was able to conduct a battle damage assessment and see what targets remained.
The new strikes come after the White House said it was trying to avoid an escalation.
“Everything we’re doing, everything we’re trying to do is to prevent any further escalation,” John Kirby, strategic…
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