Iran and Russia are slamming airstrikes carried out early Friday by the U.S. and Britain against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, calling them “irresponsible” and warning that they “will only contribute to insecurity and instability in the region.” 

President Biden said he’d authorized the strikes “in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.”  

Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the head of U.S Air Force Central Command, said there were “deliberate strikes on over 60 targets at 16 Iranian-backed Houthi militant locations, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities, and air defense radar systems.”