The US and UK forces conducted strikes against 36 targets in Yemen related to the rebel Houthi movement Ansar Allah on Saturday, according to a joint statement from Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States published by the Pentagon’s press service, Paralel.Az reports.

Strikes were conducted "against 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen in response to the Houthis' continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea," the statement reads. "These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities" of the Houthis, according to the document. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand provided support to the militaries of the United States and United Kingdom.

The strikes specifically targeted "sites associated with the Houthis' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars," the statement said. The aim of the mentioned countries remains "to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea," according to the document.

"We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways," US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also stressed in a statement released.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said earlier on Saturday that six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles had been eliminated on Yemen’s territory.