DUBAI, January 12. /TASS/. The UK and the US carried out strikes on the territory of Yemen by themselves, without any outside help from other countries, Mohammed Abdul Salam, the spokesman for the Yemeni Houthi rebel movement Ansar Allah, told Al Jazeera.

"First of all, I emphasize that there is no coalition. We are only talking about American-British aggression. <...> We maintain relations with most of the [US-mentioned] states. They assured that they did not participate in the operation <...>," the Houthi spokesman noted.

According to him, the "criminal actions" of Washington and London "have no justification" because Yemen "has not attacked anyone" and "does not pose a threat to anyone," merely supporting the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are subjected to a blockade and systematic shelling.

Earlier, US President Joe Biden confirmed the strikes by the UK and the US on the night of January 12 against rebel positions in Yemen. As the statement released by the White House press office indicated, the operation was carried out by "US military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands" in response to the "unprecedented Houthi attacks" in the Red Sea. The targets included missile sites, UAVs and Houthi radar stations.

Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis announced that they would strike Israeli territory and prevent any ships tied to the country from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave was halted. The US military's Central Command estimates that the Houthis have attacked more than 20 civilian vessels in the Red Sea since mid-November.