DUBAI, January 18. /TASS/. Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Yemeni rebel group Ansar Allah, went on television to tell his supporters that strikes by the US and the UK will not diminish the organization’s military capabilities.

"The US and British aggression will not affect our military capabilities," he said on the Al Masirah television channel, which is owned by the group. "After the first series of strikes, it became clear that the Americans will not be able to limit the operations and capabilities of the Yemeni armed forces."

On January 12, US and UK aircraft, naval ships and submarines carried out the first strike on Houthis sites in some Yemeni cities. US President Joe Biden said the strikes were defensive and represented a response to Houthis attacks in the Red Sea. The targets included the Houthis sites for launching missiles and drones, along with locations of radar stations.

Overnight into Thursday, the US carried out a fourth series of strikes on Houthi targets. According to the US Central Command, the strikes targeted 14 Houthi missile launchers that were set up to attack ships in the Red Sea. They posed an immediate threat to merchant ships and US Navy ships in the region, according to the US military. Al Masirah reported that the strikes were carried out by the UK and the US.

Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Yemen-based Houthis said they would strike Israeli territory and prevent ships affiliated with that country from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave ended. According to the US Central Command, the Houthis have attacked more than 20 civilian ships in the Red Sea since mid-November.