SANAA -- Yemen's Houthis held Saturday a funeral for 17 militants who were killed in recent US and British airstrikes targeting Houthi sites.

"The 17 heroes were killed in the American and British aggression on (Houthi) sites in northern and western Yemen," the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported, without providing further details.

Meanwhile, the United States military said it conducted strikes for self-defense on Friday morning and evening.

The US Central Command said in a statement posted on its website that its forces "conducted self-defense strikes against two mobile unmanned surface vessels (USV), four mobile anti-ship cruise missiles, and one mobile land attack cruise missile that were prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea."

The command added that it "identified these missiles and USVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region," stressing that its strikes aimed to protect the freedom of international shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been attacking the shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since mid-November last year, saying they target Israeli, US, and British commercial vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza.