WASHINGTON, January 12. /TASS/. The United States is ready to take additional measures against Yemen’s Houthi movement to defend its servicemen and global shipping lanes, US President Joe Biden said in a statement on Friday.

In the statement, Biden officially confirmed reports of massed air strikes on targets in Yemen.

"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.

"Today’s defensive action follows this extensive diplomatic campaign and Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks against commercial vessels. 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 in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes. I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary," the US president’s statement says.

"These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea - including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history," he continued. "These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation."

In his words, "more than 50 nations have been affected in 27 attacks on international commercial shipping," while "crews from more than 20 countries have been threatened or taken hostage in acts of piracy."

"More than 2,000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea - which can cause weeks of delays in product shipping times. And on January 9, Houthis launched their largest attack to date - directly targeting American ships," Biden continued.

US and UK forces carried out a military operation against Yemen’s rebel movement Ansar Allah in the early hours of Friday, January 12. Outskirts of the western port city of Al Hudaydah, and other targets in the provinces of Sana’a, Al Hudaydah, Saadah and Dhamar came under heavy fire.

After the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis claimed that they would launch strikes on Israeli territory and would not allow ships associated with it to pass through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave stopped. According to CENTCOM, over 20 commercial carriers and ships have been attacked in these waters since mid-November. In response, the US government declared it was launching operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure the safety of navigation and protect ships in the Red Sea.