The Biden administration said the strikes targeted Houthi drone, missile and radar sites at 16 locations, with multiple targets at each spot in Yemen.
U.S. and U.K. warships and fighter jets fired missiles at the targets in the destructive strikes.
President Biden said the strikes were carried out along with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” Biden said in a statement.
The Houthis and their main sponsor, Iran, on Friday condemned the strikes and vowed to retaliate.
“The American and British enemy bears full responsibility for this criminal aggression against our Yemeni people, and it will not go unanswered and unpunished,” a Houthi statement reads.
The Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea 27 times since Nov. 19, firing at merchant boats with drones and missiles, seizing one ship and ultimately disrupting global trade.
The U.S. set up a maritime task force of 22 nations to defend boats, but major shipping companies have canceled routes through the Red Sea and the Houthis kept attacking.
The joint strike this week came after the largest Houthi attack yet on Tuesday, with some 21 drones and missiles shot down by the U.S. and U.K. naval forces.
The U.S. joined 12 other allies earlier this month in warning the Houthis they would face consequences if the attacks continue.
On Capitol Hill, Congress expressed some concerns about the strike in Yemen, a sovereign nation the U.S. is not at war with, saying it violates the war powers of the legislative branch.
“The President needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another middle east conflict,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in a post on X.
Read the full coverage of the Yemen strikes at TheHill.com.
