Heavy U.S. and British airstrikes pounded targets in rebel-held Yemen early on Friday after weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by Iran-backed Houthi forces acting in solidarity with Hamas.
The Houthis have carried out a growing number of attacks on what they deem to be Israel-linked shipping in the key international trade route since the eruption of the war in Gaza sparked by Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
The rebels have controlled a major part of Yemen since a civil war erupted there in 2014 and are part of the Iran-backed "axis of resistance" arrayed against Israel.