"Today's necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across 8 locations in Yemen associated with Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter," the department said in a statement.
The statement added that the strikes were conducted by the US, the UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand in response to the "Houthis' continued attacks against commercial and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea and surrounding waterways."
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Sunday that it had received information about an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden.
"UKMTO has received a report of an incident 70 NM [nautical miles] east of the port of Djibouti. The Master reports an explosion in close proximity to the vessel, no damage is reported to the vessel and there are no injuries to the crew," the agency said on X.
The Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northern and western Yemen, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces later launched major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.