The United States and Britain launched air strikes on military locations belonging to Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen early Friday.
According to Fox News, there were attacks on more than a dozen Houthi targets by air, surface, and subsurface platforms in response to the ongoing attacks on vessels traveling through the Red Sea.
President Joe Biden is not expected to discuss the matter publicly.
More from the outlet on the attacks:
In anticipation of the attack, Houthi forces transported some weapons and equipment and fortified others, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a U.S. defense official. Local reports indicated Houthi militants were evacuating the Red Sea city of Hodeidah. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak briefed his cabinet of ministers late Thursday on the imminent military intervention. The joint strike came after Iranian forces seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman early Thursday morning. The seized vessel was in transit to Turkey when the Iranian naval forces boarded and seized the vessel, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.
On Thursday, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby demanded Houthis to "stop these attacks," adding that the terrorist group would "bear the consequences for any failure to do so."
In recent weeks, Houthis have upped their attacks in the Red Sea in protest against the Israel-Hamas war.
“The Houthis will bear the responsibility for the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways,” a joint statement from 14 countries, including the U.S. read.
Earlier this week, U.S. and British naval forces shot down drones and missiles that the Houthis fired headed toward the Red Sea after the Royal Navy warship HMS Diamond was attacked.
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