The United States and Britain have launched strikes against targets connected to Houthis in Yemen for the first time since the group began targeting international shipping in the Red Sea last year. The attacks are in response to the disruptions caused by Houthis’ targeting of Red Sea shipping routes, which have affected about 15% of the world’s shipping traffic between Europe and Asia. This marks the first U.S. strikes against the Houthis in Yemen since 2016. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said a formal statement was soon expected to detail the strikes. Earlier on the same day, the Houthi’s leader said any US attack on the group would not go without a response. The Houthis have vowed to attack ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports, but many of the targeted ships have had no links to Israel. The US military reported that the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, which accounted for the 27th attack by the group since November 19.