The US and its allies have begun a series of military strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, sending fighter jets to attack several targets. The White House issued a statement from US President Joe Biden confirming the strikes. “Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” Biden said. US Secretary of Defens…