The strikes hit 18 targets in eight locations, according to a joint statement from the coalition. They are the latest effort to stop Houthi attacks against commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthi militant group has said they will target ships linked to Israel or heading to its ports in response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

“The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” Austin said.

The Houthis condemned the strikes, the Associated Press reported, and vowed to continue their “military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arabian Seas.”

The Iranian-backed militant group has launched at least 57 attacks on international shipping since November.

Here’s what else to know

Israel’s war cabinet met late Saturday to discuss the framework on a possible deal to free the remaining hostages in Gaza, as officials reported some progress in negotiations held in Paris a day before between Egypt, Israel, the United States and Qatar, which serves as an intermediary for Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday he would convene the war cabinet again early this week to approve “operational plans for action” in Rafah, including the “evacuation of the civilian population.” Israel’s allies and aid agencies have warned against an offensive in Rafah, a border city in the Gaza Strip where about 1.4 million Palestinians are crammed without anywhere to go.

At least 29,606 people have been killed in Gaza and 69,737 injured since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 239 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.