The American strikes come amid an intensifying, parallel drive by U.S. ally Israel, which has launched its own series of airstrikes on Houthi targets in response to recent missile and drone attacks on Israel that, while mostly intercepted, have struck some civilian sites and have sent millions seeking regular refuge in bomb shelters.

The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early Saturday, a day after the Houthi-held capital Sanaa was hit by fresh airstrikes. Sirens sounded in areas of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea on Saturday as "a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted ... prior to crossing into Israeli territory," the Israeli military said.