In a continued effort to cripple Iran-backed groups responsible for attacks on American and international interests, the United States and Britain conducted strikes on at least 30 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, according to US officials. This marks the second wave of assaults following a previous air assault in Iraq and Syria.

The strikes against the Houthis were executed by ships and fighter jets. US F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, along with American warships firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea, targeted the Houthi weapon launchers, radar sites, and drones in 10 different locations. The USS Gravely and the USS Carney, both Navy destroyers, also launched missiles as part of the operation.

This is the third large-scale joint operation between the US and UK aimed at dismantling Houthi capabilities. However, the Houthis have shown no sign of scaling back their assaults, despite these strikes. Just a day before the joint operation, the US destroyer Laboon and F/A-18s from the Eisenhower intercepted and destroyed seven drones fired from Houthi-controlled areas into the Red Sea.

In Iraq and Syria, US retaliatory strikes targeted Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. While Syrian state media reported casualties, no specific numbers were given. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 23 fighters were killed in the strikes, while the Iraqi government stated that 16, including civilians, were killed in the strikes near the Syrian border, with significant damage to homes and private properties.

An initial battle damage assessment by US officials indicated that all planned targets were struck successfully, and some "dynamic targets" - including a surface-to-air missile site and drone launch sites - emerged during the mission. The US has not yet provided a final casualty assessment.

These strikes come as a response to a drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan last weekend. The US has attributed the attack to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias, although Iran has sought to distance itself from the incident, claiming that the militias operate independently.

The US airstrikes on Iraqi sites have drawn condemnation from Iraqi officials, who see them as a violation of their country's sovereignty. Some of the strikes targeted facilities of the Population Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition of Iranian-backed militias that operates outside of state control. During the operation, one of the targeted sites was identified as an official security headquarters of the PMF. The group reported 16 killed and 36 wounded, with a search underway for additional bodies.

Amid the tensions, Iraq's foreign ministry announced its intention to summon the US embassy's chargé d'affaires to deliver a formal protest against the strikes on "Iraqi military and civilian sites." The Iraqi government, which has been trying to rein in the militias while calling for the withdrawal of US troops, has been engaged in talks with US military officials to wind down the coalition's presence in the country.

In a separate development, US military's Central Command confirmed skirmishes with Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The USS Carney intercepted a drone over the Gulf of Aden without any injuries or damage reported. Additionally, airstrikes were conducted on four Houthi drones preparing to launch, which the US deemed a threat to merchant vessels and navy ships in the region. Six additional anti-ship cruise missiles were struck overnight, presenting an imminent threat, according to Central Command.

The US and UK's joint strikes aim to curtail the influence and capabilities of Iran-backed groups in Yemen and beyond, as tensions continue to escalate in the region.