US, coalition forces, launch multiple strikes against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen

U.S. and coalition forces launched more than two dozen strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the Department of Defense said Saturday. 

The strikes targeted 13 locations with deeply buried storage facilities, missile systems, launchers, air defense systems and radars, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. 

"These strikes are intended to further disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia to conduct their reckless and destabilizing attacks against U.S. and international vessels lawfully transiting the Red Sea," Austin 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."

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The strikes were conducted with support from the United Kingdom, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

The Biden administration ordered the launch of self-defense strikes Saturday evening against six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles prepared to launch against vessels in the Red Sea.

The cruise missiles were identified in parts of Yemen and were determined to present an imminent threat to U.S. Naval vessels and merchant ships in the region, U.S. Central Command said. 

The U.S. carried out another self-defense strike Thursday, targeting multiple projectiles that Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen were preparing to launch. The U.S. has conducted more than 12 strikes against the Houthis since Jan. 11. 

The terrorist fighters have upended the global shipping industry with frequent attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The attacks are retaliation for Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, U.S. forces launched a series of strikes at various periods throughout the day against Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles. 

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The latest strikes come just days after three U.S. Army soldiers were killed in Jordan. The Biden administration has blamed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias that includes the militant group Kataib Hezbollah. 

Earlier this month, two U.S. Navy SEALs went missing during a mission in the Red Sea and have since been declared dead. 

Previous U.S. strikes have not deterred attacks against U.S. forces. Since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in October, Iranian-backed militant groups have struck U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria at least 166 times with rockets, missiles and one-way attack drones, drawing about a half-dozen U.S. counterstrikes on militant facilities in both countries. 

Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz, contributed to this report.