US missiles destroy rebel radar sites in retaliation

US-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles destroyed three coastal radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory on Yemen's Red Sea Coast early on Thursday, officials said, a retaliatory action that followed two incidents this week in which missiles were fired at US Navy ships.

The strikes marked the first shots fired by the US in anger against the Houthis in Yemen's long-running civil war. The US previously only provided logistical support and refueling to the Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies, including supporters of Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

While the US military has been focused on al-Qaida in Yemen, the Hou this had not been a primary target of US forces until the missile launches from Houthi-controlled territory this week.