RAF Typhoons struck military targets near Sanaa airfield (Image: Ministry of Defence)

       British and American forces have bombed Iranian-backed Houthi rebels again after a “surge” in Red Sea ship attacks.

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       RAF fighter jets joined US warplanes, destroyers and a submarine in a coordinated campaign to strike missile launchers and storage sites.

       Four Typhoons struck "multiple" targets at two military sites near Sanaa airfield with Paveway IV guided missiles, officials said.

       Eight sites were struck in total during the mission, it is understood. American forces are said to have deployed fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier during the operation.

       The US also revealed they fired at air defence systems, radars and an underground weapons storage facility.

       Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Dangerous Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have continued to threaten the lives of sailors and disrupt shipping at an intolerable cost to the global economy.

       "Along with our US partners, we have conducted a further round of strikes in self-defence. Aimed at degrading Houthi capabilities, this action will deal another blow to their limited stockpiles and ability to threaten global trade.

       "Alongside our ongoing diplomatic efforts, we will continue to support regional stability across the Middle East, working hand in hand with our like-minded partners.”

       RAF Typhoons strike targets near Sanaa Airfield (Image: Ministry of Defence)

       RAF Typhoons have struck multiple targets across Yemen (Image: Getty)

       READ MORE: 'Britain has a duty to keep the High Seas free of terror'

       Houthi rebels seized a cargo ship off the coast of Yemen (Image: Getty)

       The air strikes came just hours after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held crisis talks with US President Joe Biden.

       The pair paid tribute to British and American troops who “are currently working closely together to uphold freedom of navigation and protect lives in the Red Sea".

       Downing Street added: “The leaders condemned the surge in violent Houthi attacks on commercial ships transiting the area and undertook to continue efforts alongside international partners to deter and disrupt those attacks.

       “This includes work through the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian, putting diplomatic pressure on Iran to cease their support of Houthi activity and, as needed, targeted military action to degrade Houthi capabilities.”

       The rapid response missions, which officials said go after launchers armed and ready to fire, demonstrate the military's increasing ability to watch, detect and strike militant activities in Yemen.

       The Houthis' media office said in an online statement that several American and UK raids targeted Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

       Earlier this month, military chiefs ordered fighter jets, navy destroyers and an American submarine to bomb drone storage units, missile launch sites, airfields, ammunition supplies, production facilities and air defence radar systems.

       The strikes killed five Houthi fighters and wounded another six. Mr Sunak, speaking hours after the intervention, said the strikes were an act of “self-defence”, adding that the aim was to “restore stability in the region”.

       The Ministry of Defence said numerous buildings were destroyed in the airstrikes.

       And Mr Sunak, in the aftermath of the bombing raid, said the Houthis - an Iranian-backed militia who control the north of Yemen and its capital Sanaa - needed to "recognise the international condemnation for what they are doing and desist".

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       Houthi attacks have intensified after the first UK/US air strikes (Image: Getty)

       Financial services group Allianz has forecast that "if the crisis persists for several months" global inflation could be pushed up by half a percentage point to 5.1%, just as it appeared that the worst of recent price rises were over.

       But the US has hinted it is adopting a potentially longer-term military strategy to protect ships in the Red Sea. Military chiefs have labelled the ongoing operation to target Houthi assets in Yemen “Operation Poseidon Archer”.

       The Houthis have vowed to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea, adding that any British or American vessels are also targets.

       The US has struck Houthi targets in Yemen seven times since carrying out its first set of attacks together with the UK military on January 11. The first wave of strikes, in which the two countries hit approximately 30 sites across Houthi-controlled Yemen.

       US intelligence has claimed the Iranian-backed militants were trying to acquire more weapons from Tehran.

       The Houthis, a Shia rebel group that has held Sanaa since 2014, have linked their attacks on ships to the Israel-Hamas war.

       But the vessels they have targeted increasingly have few links to Israel - or none at all.

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       The latest operation could raise questions once again about the need to consult Parliament. As well as holding a full Cabinet meeting before the strikes earlier this month, the Government also briefed Sir Keir Starmer, shadow defence secretary John Healey and Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle about the operation.

       It is understood that Sir Keir did not receive a briefing ahead of the latest set of strikes.

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