US retaliatory airstrikes updates: White House vows to take 'more action'

Early Sunday morning, the United States conducted a strike "in self-defense against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea," a statement from the U.S. Central Command forces said.

Around 4 a.m. locally, U.S. forces identified a cruise missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region, according to CENTCOM.

According to the release, "This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels."

The round of airstrikes launched by the U.S. and U.K. on Saturday “further degraded the Houthis’ capability to continue their illegal and reckless attacks" against U.S. ships and international commercial vessels, according to a senior U.S. administration official.

"The U.S. does not want escalation, and these strikes are directly in response to the actions by the Iranian-backed Houthis," the senior administration official said. "They are unrelated to the action the United States took on Friday in response to the continued attacks on our troops and facilities in Iraq and Syria."

The official emphasizes that the U.S. has “rallied a global coalition” to condemn and hold the Houthis accountable, adding that this is the third round of strikes as part of the coalition that includes the U.S., UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, the Netherlands, and now also Denmark and New Zealand.

-ABC News' Selina Wang

The U.S. and U.K. led a coalition of strikes against Houthis in Yemen focused on degrading the Houthis capabilities in shipping attacks, US officials say, stressing that the strikes are unrelated to strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria on Friday which were in response to the attack on U.S. troops in Jordan. Earlier reporting said the attacks on Yemen were in response to the attack on U.S. troops in Jordan.

While the timing may be coincidental, both the militia groups in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis are backed by Iran, U.S. officials say. But when asked if there was an intended message for Iran as well, the U.S. officials said they did not want to focus on Iran and instead kept the discussion about how each of the airstrikes was intended to deter and degrade Iran’s local proxies.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a statement saying the strikes on Yemen aim to "disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia" from continuing to attack vessels in the Red Sea.

The strikes targeted Houthis' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars, according to a statement from Austin.

"This collective action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels," Austin said.

He added, "We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways."

-ABC News' Nate Luna