US forces conducted self-defence strikes against three Houthi underground weapons storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday.

The strikes targeted capabilities used by the Houthis to threaten and attack naval and merchant vessels in the region, it posted in a statement on X. CENTCOM also said its forces had destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defence.

Attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea region, which the Iran-aligned militants say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to take longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

The head of the Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, said earlier there had been “reckless” US-British attacks on Yemen. The Houthi-run Saba News Agency said US and British aircraft had launched five raids on Hodeidah, the area where Yemen’s main port is located.

CENTCOM said that during the US attacks, Houthi militants had fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles.