RAF Typhoon FGR4s use Paveway IV bombs against Houthi locations in Yemen

The UK has carried out a number of strikes against Houthi targets in the Red Sea, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowing to protect British interests abroad.

Two locations in Yemen, located near Hudayah, were identified by the Ministry of Defence – with surface-to-air weapons used to impede coalition operations believed to be on site.

The buildings were also thought to house drone ground control facilities and storage for very long range drones.

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Further south, a number of Houthi facilities were also identified, with RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducting strikes on three locations using Paveway IV bombs.

The Typhoon is used for air policing, peace and support and high-intensity conflict missions, as well as operating as the UK and Falkland Islands Quick Reaction Alert aircraft.

All these roles sit alongside the Typhoon's mission on Nato's eastern flank, operating as the UK's contribution to Nato's air policing mission.

The Paveway IV bombs used in the strikes are the RAF's go-to ground attack weapon.

The state-of-the-art precision-guided bomb can service the vast majority of the RAF's potential targets sets, cost around £30,000 each and weight 226kg.

They are a dual-mode weapon, meaning they can be guided using GPS or a laser.

The US was also involved in the strike on Houthi targets which killed two people and injured 10 others, according to the Houthis' Al Masirah satellite news.

It is the fifth time US and British forces have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since 12 January.

The Prime Minister said the aim of the strikes was to "further degrade the military capabilities of the Houthis and to prevent further attacks on international shipping".

"The strikes were taken in self-defence in the face of an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose," Mr Sunak added.

The Houthis have increased attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.

Houthi rebels have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.

Mr Sunak also said the Government would "not hesitate to protect British interests abroad and at home" when asked if the strikes risked escalation with Iran.

"There is an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose, 197 attacks since November, all our intelligence indicates that previous sets of strikes have been successful in degrading military capabilities of the Houthis: targeting supply, command and control launch sites for missiles and there is also a risk in inaction that would damage the global economy and further risk our international security," he said.