The Houthi rebels have hit back and responded to the US and the UK launching airstrikes (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

The Houthis’ deputy leader has issued a dire warning to the US and the UK saying they will pay a ‘heavy price’ for striking rebel targets.

It comes after Britain and the US launched airstrikes which were approved during an emergency cabinet meeting yesterday evening.

Royal Air Force planes were sent to a number of locations in Yemen overnight and carried out ‘targeted strikes’ against military facilities, Rishi Sunak said.

Follow our Yemen airstrikes live blog for the latest updates.

So far strikes have been reported around Yemen’s capital Sana’s, Dhamar, the Houthi Red Sea port of Hudaydah, and north-western Houthi stronghold of Saada.

Mr Sunak added the strikes are ‘limited, necessary and a proportionate action in self-defence’.

The strikes are in response to attacks carried out by Iranian backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, Joe Biden said.

Yemeni protesters take part in a march in solidarity with Palestine yesterday (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

The president added that other countries including The Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bahrain provided support as part of the mission.

Yemen itself is controlled heavily by Houthi rebels and are supporting Hamas in its war against Israel which broke out on October 23 2023.

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Britian and the US launched airstrikes last night.