U.S. and U.K. launch new strikes against Houthi sites in Yemen

The U.S. and British militaries launched a fresh round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen Monday, defense officials said.

The attacks, which were carried out by manned aircraft and ships, marked the second time the two militaries launched strikes against Houthi sites in Yemen. The last round was on January 11. Since then, the U.S. has struck several Houthi targets on its own.

More from NBC News:

Fake Joe Biden robocall tells New Hampshire Democrats not to vote on Tuesday

Navy identifies two SEALs lost at sea during raid and later declared dead

States turn their attention to regulating AI and deepfakes as 2024 kicks off

The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia group that controls large swaths of territory in Yemen, have launched dozens of attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea in recent months. The group says the strikes are in retaliation to Israel's bombing of Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The violence has further fueled fears of the conflict in Israel escalating into a regional war.

The U.S. last week redesignated the Houthis as a terrorist organization, a move designed to cut off funding to the rebel group.

The Biden administration had removed the group from the U.S.'s terrorist list shortly after taking office in order to ease the flow of food, medicine and other aid into strife-torn Yemen.