South Korea and seven other countries endorsed joint strikes by the United States and Britain against targets linked to Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen over the group's weekslong attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

In a statement on Friday, South Korea, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand said the strikes were conducted in accordance with the inherent right of individual and collective self-defense, consistent with the United Nations Charter.

The countries said the precision bombings were intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of international mariners in one of the world's most critical waterways.

Calling the more than two dozen attacks by the rebels since mid-November an "international challenge," the countries said the latest strikes demonstrated a shared commitment to freedom of navigation, international commerce, and the defense of the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October, the Houthis, who control most of Yemen, have conducted around 30 missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping routes in support of Hamas.

With the attacks disrupting international commerce, more than 20 countries agreed last month to participate in a U.S.-led coalition known as "Operation Prosperity Guardian" to safeguard commercial traffic in the Red Sea.