US-UK coalition strike Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen after spate of ship attacks in Red Sea

Britain and the U.S. early Friday carried out joint airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen in response to the group's ongoing attacks on vessels traveling through the Red Sea.

The strikes came shortly after the White House called a lid on President Biden's engagements for the evening as he was not expected to discuss the matter publicly. It also follows news that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had not notified the president or other officials of his whereabouts for several days while he was in the ICU at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.  Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more. 

In anticipation of the attack, Houthi forces transported some weapons and equipment and fortified others, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a U.S. defense official. Local reports indicated Houthi militants were evacuating the Red Sea city of Hodeidah. 

The group's leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi vowed in a televised speech earlier Thursday that any U.S. attack on Yemen's Houthis would not go without a response. He said any such response would be bigger than the recent strike in which its drones and missiles targeted a U.S. ship in the Red Sea.