The Canadian government and the federal official opposition party today, Friday, endorsed the targeted strikes carried out by armed forces from the United States and the United Kingdom against areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.

In a statement referring to the small number of Canadian Armed Forces personnel deployed as part of the U.S.-led operation who supported the military action, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and Defense Minister Bill Blair said the strikes "are in accordance with the United Nations Charter."

The two Canadian ministers added that the naval operation also demonstrated "the international community’s commitment to defending freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea," amid the ongoing and widely condemned Houthi attacks on commercial and merchant ships.

U.S. and British forces struck more than 60 targets at 16 sites, including air defense systems and missile launch platforms in Yemen, on Thursday evening using Tomahawk missiles launched from warships, submarines, and fighter jets in response to the ongoing campaign by the Iran-backed Houthis, according to the Associated Press.

On Friday, the Houthi rebels in Yemen raised the specter of a broader conflict and vowed to respond to the U.S. and British strikes that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said "will degrade and disrupt" the armed group's capabilities.

Joly and Blair said in their statement today: "Canada condemns the reckless Houthi attacks against commercial vessels and their crews operating in the Red Sea. They directly affect the flow of food, fuel, humanitarian aid, and other essential goods to populations worldwide, potentially impacting the global economy."

They added: "We call on the Houthis to cease their attacks immediately, and affirm that they bear the consequences of their actions."

In response to a question at a press conference in Winnipeg, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said his party supports Canada’s backing of the strikes in Yemen.

Poilievre said, "The Houthi rebels are essentially an agent of the Iranian government; they have been cutting vital trade routes and endangering allied soldiers and civilian sailors; they primarily operate as a Tehran-backed piracy group threatening international security."

He added that "the strikes are necessary to confront this threat."