This month, the U.S. and U.K. hit Houthi targets in Yemen again, with two U.S. defense officials confirming this to CBS News.

They struck eight Houthi spots with help from friends like Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, according to U.S. Central Command on Monday night.

CENTCOM explained “The targets included missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, radars, and deeply buried weapons storage facilities,”. The goal? To stop the Houthis from attacking U.S. and U.K. ships and other ships in the Red Sea and nearby areas.

Just earlier this month, the U.S. and U.K., with some help, went after nearly 30 places in Yemen using over 150 smart bombs.

So far, including Monday’s strikes, the U.S. has launched eight rounds of air attacks against the Houthis for their ongoing attacks on ships.

The U.S. official told CBS News that Monday’s air strikes hit their mark and made a real difference. They weren’t sure if any Houthis were hurt, though.

These attacks came from the sky and sea, using Tomahawk missiles and planes from the U.S.S. Eisenhower.

The targeted underground spots had fancier weapons than before, the official mentioned.

U.S. people also noted that the Houthis can still hit ships, but these recent strikes have really cut down their power to do so.

Since November, these Iran-supported Houthis have tried over 30 times to hit ships. Nobody’s been badly hurt, but it’s scared some companies into keeping their ships out of the Red Sea.

The Houthis haven’t managed a successful strike since January 18. But they’re still trying. Just this weekend, the U.S. stopped two of their missile setups right in their tracks, U.S. Central Command said.

Last week, the U.S. made five proactive strikes over five days. A U.S. official told CBS News earlier that the first strikes with the U.K. knocked out enough of the Houthis’ air defense to let the U.S. watch Yemen better. This helps them see what the Houthis are planning. 

The Houthis began attacking commercial ships to show they’re upset about the Gaza war. But, U.S. officials say many ships they hit aren’t linked to Israel or its war. 

At first, the U.S. didn’t hit the Houthis straight on, mainly because Biden’s team wanted to keep Israel’s fight with Hamas from growing into a bigger war.

In December, the Pentagon started “Operation Prosperity Guardian.” It’s a group of about 20 countries acting like sea police in the Red Sea. They’re there to help commercial ships if they need it, says the Defense Department.

This international project is still going, but the U.S. seems to think it’s still important to go after the Houthis directly.