The US and UK have carried out joint attacks on Houthi military targets in Yemen for the second time, US officials have said.

The strikes targeted Houthi missile sites, the Associated Press reported.

It follows the targeting of international shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea.

According to Houthi media the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, was among the targets, along with several other areas.

Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, and US President Joe Biden have spoken on the phone about ongoing attacks against naval and merchant vessels, the White House said.

They also discussed trying to secure the release of hostages still being held in Gaza by Hamas, the US said.

Earlier this month, British and American forces bombed more than a dozen sites used by the Iran-backed militia in retaliatory strikes following attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

The group had defied a warning to stop.

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After the first attacks involving British forces, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said “particular care was taken to minimise any risks to civilians” and “any such risks were mitigated further by the decision to conduct the strikes during the night”.

Tonight’s attacks were also carried out under the cover of darkness.

Yemeni press agency, SABA, reported earlier this month that the first UK/US attacks took place in the capital, Sanaa, and the governorates of Sadah, Hodeidah, Taiz, and Dhamar.

A Houthi official said the initial attacks killed at least five people and wounded six, adding that they would not go “unanswered”.

The US subsequently launched another strike against a Houthi target in Yemen.

Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, has said the actions of the Houthis were “effectively terrorist attacks”, adding: “If you don’t act against the Houthis in the Red Sea, you are going to see more attacks.”

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