U.S. strikes not connected to broader Yemen conflict - Pentagon

A still image from video released October 13, 2016 shows U.S. military launching cruise missile strikes from U.S. Navy destroyer USS Nitze to knock out three coastal radar sites in areas of Yemen controlled by Houthi forces. REUTERS/DIVIDS via Reuters TV

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. military strikes against coastal radar sites in Yemen were defensive in nature and not a signal of a deepening U.S. role in Yemen's conflict, the Pentagon said on Thursday. "These strikes are not connected to the broader conflict in Yemen. The United States continues to encourage all parties in the Yemen conflict to commit to a cessation of hostilities and to seek a political solution to that conflict," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told a news conference. "Our actions overnight were a response to hostile action, the launch of multiple missiles that presented a threat to U.S. Navy vessels, to other ships in the area and to commerce in a strategic international waterway." (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Leslie Adler)