US forces conducted self-defense strikes against three Houthi underground weapons storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday.

The strikes targeted capabilities used by the Houthis to threaten and attack naval and merchant vessels in the region, it posted in a statement on X.

CENTCOM also said its forces had destroyed four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense.

Attacks by Yemen's Houthis in the Red Sea region, which the Iran-aligned militants say are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to take longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa. The attacks began in mid-November after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslims to blockade Israel. Houthis are supported by Iran's weapons supplies.

The head of the Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, said earlier there had been "reckless" US-British attacks on Yemen. The Houthi-run Saba News Agency said US and British aircraft had launched five raids on Hodeidah, the area where Yemen's main port is located.

CENTCOM said that during the time frame of the US attacks on the UAVs, Houthi militants had fired four anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea.

"There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships," it said.

CENTCOM said its strikes on the storage facilities were "actions are necessary to protect our forces, ensure freedom of navigation, and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels."

Critics of the Biden administration have said that US military measures have so far been limited and defensive in nature, failing to deter the Houthis or their main supporter, the Iranian regime.

With reporting by Reuters