Washington has been intent on acting as part of a coalition as it goes after one of Iran’s closest allies, and Biden said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands had provided non-operational support to the US and British strikes.

According to AFP, a joint statement by the US, Britain, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea said the “aim remains to de-escalate tensions”.

“But let our message be clear: we will not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce,” it said.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — whose job has been on the line after he kept Biden in the dark about his recent hospitalisation — said the strikes aimed to “disrupt and degrade” the Houthis’ abilities to target international shipping.

“Today’s strikes targeted sites associated with the Houthis’ unmanned aerial vehicle, ballistic and cruise missile, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities,” Austin said in a statement.