US media say US forces conducted further strikes against targets linked to the anti-government Houthi group in Yemen on Friday, following a joint operation with Britain the previous day.

The US and British forces launched airstrikes on multiple locations in Yemen on Thursday, in response to repeated Houthi attacks on vessels navigating in the Red Sea.

A senior US official said on Friday that Thursday's attacks hit a total of 28 locations, and said they succeeded in degrading the Houthis' ability to conduct further attacks.

CNN reported the additional operation on Friday was much smaller in scale than the earlier strikes and targeted a radar facility used by the Houthis.

The action prompted large protests in the Yemini capital Sanaa on Friday, as people rallied against the United States.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council on Friday held an emergency meeting at which US and British envoys said the strikes were a necessary act of self-defense and consistent with international law.

The representative of Russia condemned the attacks as destabilizing the region, while African and other council members called for avoiding further escalation, without naming any country.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday issued a statement through his spokesperson. He said that Wednesday's UN Security Council resolution demanding the Houthis immediately cease attacks on vessels in the Red Sea "must be fully respected in its entirety."

He called on "all parties involved not to escalate even more the situation in the interest of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region."

Guterres did not make direct reference to the US and Britain, but stressed the need to "avoid acts that could further worsen the situation in Yemen."