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The US has launched a new strike against a Houthi target in Yemen, according to two defence officials.

The sources confirmed the unilateral strike was conducted from a US Navy ship and targeted a Houthi radar site.

It comes just 24 hours after American and British planes, ships and submarines launched dozens of airstrikes across the country overnight in retaliation against Iran-backed Houthi forces for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping.

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Earlier there were reports “suspicious” small boats had approached merchant ships near Yemen.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of two small boats following a vessel for more than an hour.

No weapons were seen, but the “suspicious approach” happened in an area 80 nautical miles southeast of Aden in Yemen, according to the agency.

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Meanwhile, two US Navy sailors have been reported missing at sea while conducting operations off the coast of Somalia.

A statement from US Central Command said: “Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing to locate the two sailors.

“For operational security purposes, we will not release additional information until the personnel recovery operation is complete.

“The sailors were forward-deployed to the US 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations supporting a wide variety of missions.”

The pair went missing on 11 January.

On Friday, the US Navy warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours.

The warning in a notice to shippers came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation for the US-led strikes, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel’s war in Gaza.

US military and White House officials said they expected the Houthis to try to strike back.

“Suspicious” small boats have reportedly approached merchant ships near Yemen despite attacks on Houthi targets by the US and UK.

American and British planes, ships and submarines launched dozens of airstrikes across the country overnight in retaliation against Iran-backed Houthi forces for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping.

As Houthis threaten a response, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of two small boats following a vessel for more than an hour.

No weapons were seen, but the “suspicious approach” happened in an area 80 nautical miles southeast of Aden in Yemen, according to the agency.

Just hours before this alleged incident, the UKMTO said it received a report of a missile fired towards a vessel in a similar area, with no injuries or damage caused.

Read more:
How the US and UK launched Houthi strikes
US and UK bombing the world’s poorest nation is risky and optically awkward

The Houthis – who said five of its fighters were killed and another six injured – warned on Friday the strikes would not go without “punishment or retaliation”.

Tens of thousands of people rallied in support of the group, with some bearing the Palestinian flag, as photos showed the scale of a mass protest in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a on Friday.

Commenting for the first time since the attacks, US President Joe Biden said the operation was a “success” and said he believed there were no civilian casualties.

When asked if he thought the Houthis were a terrorist group, he said: “I think they are.”

He also denied claims the US was now in a proxy war with Iran, adding: “Iran does not want a war with us.”

Lieutenant General Douglas Sims said both militaries hit nearly 30 locations in the country using more than 150 munitions – higher figures than previously stated.

He told reporters the US did not expect a high number of casualties as some targets were in rural areas – but he expected the Houthis to retaliate, adding they fired an anti-ship missile without success.

Asked whether the Houthis could be targeted again, UK Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron did not rule out the prospect of further strikes.

“We will do what is necessary to protect our ships,” he said.

“Warnings were not working. The number of attacks were increasing and the severity of those attacks were increasing. This escalation has been caused by the Houthis.

“This action is in response to that – to send a very clear message that if you act in this way, there aren’t just warnings, there are consequences.”