UPDATE | Russia requests UN Security Council meeting after US and UK strike Yemen

Russia said it had requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday to discuss military strikes on Yemen by the United States and Britain.

"Russia has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on January 12 in connection with the US and UK strikes on Yemen," Russia's permanent mission to the United Nations said.

READ | WATCH: US, Britain launch strikes against Houthis in Yemen, officials say

The United States and Britain launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement's attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a dramatic regional widening of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

A spokesperson for Yemen's Houthis said there was no justification for the US-British attack and said the Iran-backed group will continue targeting ships heading towards Israel.