SANAA, Jan 13 (AFP/Reuters): The United States carried out a fresh strike Saturday on a Huthi rebel target in Yemen, US Central Command said, after the Iran-backed militants warned of further attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The strike on a Huthi radar site comes a day after scores of attacks across the country heightened fears that Israel's war with Palestinian militant group Hamas could engulf the wider region.
The Iran-backed militants' official media earlier said the Al-Dailami airbase in Yemen's rebel-held capital of Sanaa had been struck.
The Huthis, who have carried out weeks of attacks on Israel-linked shipping in protest of the Israel-Hamas war, warned that US and British interests were "legitimate targets" after the first volley of strikes.
Britain, the United States and eight allies said strikes carried out on Friday had aimed to "de-escalate tensions", but the Huthis vowed to continue their attacks.
"All American-British interests have become legitimate targets" following the strikes, the rebels' Supreme Political Council said.
Two US Navy sailors missing
off coast of Somalia
Two US Navy sailors have been reported missing at sea while conducting operations off the coast of Somalia, the US military said Friday. The two sailors went missing Thursday evening, US Central Command said in a brief statement.
"Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing to locate the two sailors. For operational security purposes, we will not release additional information until the personnel recovery operation is complete," it said.
The sailors were "forward-deployed" to the US 5th Fleet area of operations "supporting a wide variety of missions."
The 5th Fleet's area of operations covers about 2.5 million square miles of water and includes The Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean, according to the military's website.
Houthis mistakenly target
Russian oil tanker
Houthi militants mistakenly targeted a tanker carrying Russian oil in a missile attack on Friday off Yemen, British maritime security firm Ambrey said.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organisation said it had received a report of a missile being fired 90 nautical miles southeast of Yemen's port city of Aden.
"The master reported a missile landing in the water 400-500 metres away, and being followed by three small craft," the UKMTO advisory note said, adding that there were no injuries or damage.
Ambrey said, "This was the second tanker mistakenly targeted by the Houthis whilst carrying Russian oil."
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who control much of Yemen, have launched wave after wave of exploding drones and missiles at Western commercial vessels in the Red Sea since Nov 19, in what they say is a protest against Israel's military operations in Gaza.
