The U.S. and Britain struck 36 Houthi sites in Yemen in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. In addition to the strikes on Saturday, U.S. Central Command says it conducted an additional “self-defense” strike on Sunday against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile. Washington did not directly target Iran as it tries to find a balance between a forceful response and intensifying the conflict. The Saturday strikes against the Houthis were launched by U.S. warships and American and British fighter jets and followed an air assault in Iraq and Syria on Friday in retaliation for the drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend.