Cairo, 12 January 2024 (dpa/MIA) — The US-British strikes in Yemen were “blatant aggression” and a “folly,” with no justification, an official from the Iran-allied Houthi group said on Friday.

“A blatant American-British aggression against the Republic of Yemen to protect Israel and halt Yemen’s operations in support of Gaza. They have committed a folly by this treacherous aggression,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam said in an X post.

“We emphasize there was absolutely no justification for the aggression against Yemen. There was no threat to international navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas,” he added.

The official vowed the group will continue to target Israeli ships or those heading to Israel’s ports.

Pro-Houthi TV al-Masirah quoted Abdel-Salam as saying that the group's response to the strikes is "inevitable."

The United States and its allies launched a series of military strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, sending fighter jets to attack several targets.

The White House issued a statement on Thursday from US President Joe Biden confirming the strikes, which took place in the middle of the night in the Red Sea.

"Today, at my direction, US military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways," Biden said.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the US and its allies would "not hesitate to defend our forces, the global economy, and the free flow of legitimate commerce."

"This action is intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global trade in one of the world's most critical waterways," his statement said.