Britain and the United States have told the UN Security Council that airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen are legal.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, said that the strikes were consistent with international law and the UN charter.

The military intervention was designed “to disrupt and degrade the Houthis’ ability to continue the reckless attacks against vessels and commercial shipping,” she said.

The United States would continue pursuing a diplomatic response while seeking to defend commercial shipping, she added.

The exchange came after Russia and China accused Britain and the US of raising regional tensions by attacking Houthi sites in Yemen directly.

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