The US and UK struck 36 targets in Yemen in joint attacks against Iran-backed Houthi militants, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday.

The strikes hit buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems, launchers and other capabilities the Houthis have used to attack Red Sea shipping, the Pentagon said.

The strikes were carried out in 13 locations, all of which were in "Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen," CENTCOM said.

"US forces identified the cruise missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region," it said in a statement.
 

"This collective action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

The Houthi targets were in 13 different locations. They were struck by US F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, by British Typhoon FGR4 fighter aircraft and by the Navy destroyers USS Gravely and the USS Carney firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea, according to US officials and the UK Defense Ministry.

The strikes come a day after the US attacked targets in Iraq and Syria in response to the drone attack that killed three US service members in a base in northeast Jordan last week.

'This is not an escalation'

Despite the strikes, Washington has maintained that it does not seek an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, a sentiment echoed by the UK on Saturday.

"This is not an escalation," said UK Defense Minister Grant Shapps. "We have already successfully targeted launchers and storage sites involved in Houthi attacks, and I am confident that our latest strikes have further degraded the Houthis’ capabilities."

Since November, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which began following deadly raids by Hamas militants on October 7 in the south of Israel in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed, mostly civilians, and some 240 people kidnapped. 

Following the the US and British air strikes, the Houthi rebels on Sunday vowed a response. 

 "These attacks will not deter us from our... stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

The latest strikes "will not pass without response and punishment", he added.

Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, the EU, Germany and several other governments, still holds over 100 Israeli hostages.

The Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea have imperiled shipping in a key route for global trade and energy shipments.

rm/sri (Reuters, AP)