The United States and Britain launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement's attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a dramatic regional widening of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

China has called on all sides to prevent the Yemen conflict from expanding.

As witnesses in Yemen confirmed explosions throughout the country, US President Joe Biden cautioned he would not hesitate to take further action if needed.

"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation," Biden said in a statement late on Thursday.

Britain's ministry of defence said in a statement that "early indications are that the Houthis' ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow."

The Iran-backed Houthis say their attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea are a show of support for the Palestinians and Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is in hospital due to surgery complications, said in a statement that the strikes targeted Houthi capabilities including drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, costal radar and air surveillance.

A Houthi official confirmed "raids" in the capital Sanaa along with the cities of Saada and Dhamar as well as in Hodeidah governorate, calling them "American-Zionist-British aggression."

Witnesses said the raids targeted a military base adjacent to Sanaa airport, a military site near Taiz airport, a Houthi naval base in Hodeidah and military sites in Hajjah governorate.

The US said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands supported the operation, and sought to present the strikes as part of an international effort to restore the free flow of trade in a key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15 percent of the world's shipping traffic.

"The concern is that this could escalate," said Andreas Krieg at King's College in London, warning of the risk that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could also be drawn into the confrontation.

In a statement after the strikes, Saudi Arabia called for restraint.

The US also accused Iran of being involved operationally in the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, providing the military capabilities and intelligence to carry them out.

The strikes were carried out by aircraft, ship and submarine. "We were going after very specific capability in very specific locations with precision munitions," a US military official said.

"China is concerned about the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a regular briefing.

"We urge the relevant parties to keep calm and exercise restraint, to prevent the conflict from expanding."

The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, defied a UN and other international calls to halt their missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and warnings from Washington of consequences if they failed to do so.

The Houthi attacks have disrupted international commerce, forcing international shipping to take the long route around South Africa to avoid being struck. The increase in delivery costs is stoking fears it could trigger a fresh bout of global inflation.

Beijing stressed that the "Red Sea region is an important passage for international logistics and the energy trade".

"We hope that the relevant parties can all play a constructive and responsible role in protecting the regional security and stability of the Red Sea, in line with the international community's shared interests," Mao said.

China, she added, urged "all parties to jointly maintain the security of international waterways and avoid harassing civilian vessels, as this is detrimental to the global economy and trade." (Reuters, additional reporting by AFP)
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Last updated: 2024-01-12 HKT 16:22