Anti-war demonstrators protest outside White House following US airstrikes in Yemen

Protesters assembled outside the White House Thursday night to protest the U.S. military launching retaliatory airstrikes in Yemen.

Demonstrators could be heard chanting "Hands off Yemen" and "Let Yemen live" outside the White House while waving Iranian flags, according to Fox 26.

On Thursday, the U.S. and the U.K. launched joint airstrikes in Yemen and killed five people, according to Houthi leadership. The strikes were in response to a Houthi naval strike campaign on civilian shipping in the Red Sea.

"The Biden admin is threatening to unleash a regional war w/ this retaliation against Yemen’s solidarity w/ Palestine," ANSWER Coalition, the anti-war group that organized the demonstration wrote on the social media platform X.

President Joe Biden said the strikes were necessary due to American vessels in the Red Sea being targeted. 

“Today’s defensive action follows this extensive diplomatic campaign and Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks against commercial vessels,” he said.

“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes.”