US destroys Houthi-controlled radar sites, drones following attacks on merchant vessels

The US launched a barrage of attacks on Houthi-controlled radar sites in Yemen, as well as several air-and sea-borne drones deployed by the Iran-backed terrorists, officials said. 

The strikes targeting the terror group came after a spate of Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea this week, resulting in at least one commercial sailor disappearing, authorities said.  

In a 24-hour period, the US eliminated seven radar installations within Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, US Central Command said. 

“These radars allow the Houthis to target maritime vessels and endanger commercial shipping,” Central Command said.

The US also took out a pair of Houthi-deployed drone boats in the Red Sea, as well as an aerial drone launched by the terrorists over the waterway, Central Command said. 

The Houthis have said they are targeting vessels traversing the Red Sea to help bring an end to the Israel-Hamas war, but the terror group often attacks ships and sailors with no connection to the fighting in Gaza.  

The repeated attacks have halved traffic in the Red Sea, one of the busiest trading routes in the world and a vital corridor for cargo and energy shipments between Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

One merchant sailor was missing as of late Friday after the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned Tutor cargo ship was struck Wednesday by a Houthi-deployed boat, officials said.

“The crew abandoned ship and were rescued by USS Philippine Sea and partner forces,” Central Command said, adding that the “Tutor remains in the Red Sea and is slowly taking on water.”

The missing sailor is from the Philippines and all of the vessel’s 22 crew members were Filipinos, Hans Leo Cacdac, the Philippines’ migrant workers minister, said late Friday. 

“It just boils down to finding our seafarer who is still onboard,” Cacdac said. 

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping vessels since November, killing three sailors, in addition seizing one ship and sinking another, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration

With Post wires.