UPDATE - US, UK carry out strikes against Houthis inside Yemen

ADDS DETAILS THROUGHOUT, UPDATES HEADLINE, DECK TO REMOVE REFERENCES TO REPORTS

By Servet Gunerigok and Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US and UK carried out strikes on multiple Houthi targets inside Yemen late Thursday "in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels," said US President Joe Biden.

Biden said the Houthi attacks that prompted the allied strikes "have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners and our partners, jeopardized trade and threatened freedom of navigation."

"These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history," Biden said in a statement. "The response of the international community to these reckless attacks has been united and resolute."

The Al-Masirah TV channel, which belongs to the Houthis, announced that the Yemeni capital Sanaa was being subjected to "American aggression.” Meanwhile, Houthi leader Ali al-Qahoum said the rebel group is targeting American and British warships in the Red Sea in retaliation for the allied strikes.

The action comes in response to ongoing attacks by the Yemeni group, which is backed by Iran, on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea that began in November in response to Israel's war on Gaza. The Red Sea is a critical waterway for international commerce, particular oil and fuel shipments, connecting the Suez Canal in Egypt with the Gulf of Aden.

The Suez Canal allows ships coming to and from Europe to transit to Asia without having to take the much longer and costlier route around the southern tip of Africa.

The Houthis have carried out 27 attacks in the Red Sea since Nov. 19, the US military said earlier Thursday.

They have targeted vessels in the southern Red Sea and warned that they will attack all Israeli-bound ships. They have said the attacks are meant to support Palestinians as they face Israel's "aggression and siege" in Gaza.

Last month, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a multinational mission to counter the Houthi attacks.

The US and UK are carrying out the strikes with unspecified "support" from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, Biden said.

Biden said the "defensive action" against the Houthis follows months of diplomacy and the "Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks against commercial vessels."

"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," he said.

"I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary," he added.