We're pausing our live coverage for now.

Here's a quick recap of today's key lines before we go:

• President Biden said the US has delivered a "private message" to Iran about the Houthis, following an overnight US strike on a Houthi target in Yemen
• The Iran-backed Houthi rebels reported no injuries, and vowed a "strong and effective" response
• There are unconfirmed reports of an explosion in a Houthi-held area in Yemen - though detail is scarce at the moment
• In Gaza, Israel has kept up its bombardment - with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting another 135 Palestinians killed in the past 24 hours
• Around the world, thousands of protesters have marched in cities including Bangkok, London and Johannesburg calling for a ceasefire as the war nears the 100-day mark

You can read more about the US's latest strike in Yemen here and delve into our coverage of the protest in London here.

That's all for now.

In Gaza, the Israeli military has said it would consider allowing the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians displaced from the north of the Strip to return when it decides there is "no danger to the population" from their ongoing battle with Hamas.

Armed forces chief Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said in quotes cited by Reuters news agency that the military "will be able to consider bringing them back" when the war on Hamas has subsided.

Today, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Israel will not relent from pursuing "victory" in Gaza.

"No one will stop us - not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil and no-one else," he said in a televised press conference.

His comments come after South Africa lodged a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, alleging genocide against the Palestinians - something Israel strongly denies.

US will be hoping private message to Iran will help ease crisispublished at 17:58 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January

17:58 GMT 13 January

Sebastian Usher
Middle East analyst

The US has been sending a clear message to the Houthis through the strikes that began two days ago - in a bid to end the group’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea that has threatened to damage the global economy.

The Houthis have shown no sign of backing down for now. At the core of their ideology is enmity for Israel - the group says its recent attacks on shipping represent a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.

The group has long drawn vital support from Iran. Now, according to President Biden, the US is also sending a direct message to Tehran. He did not say what it contained, but Washington will be hoping that it will help ease the growing crisis in the Red Sea.

For Iran, though, the situation there is another relatively low-intensity and low-cost conflict in the region that displays Tehran’s ability to influence events at arm’s length without committing it to a direct, all-out confrontation with the US.

Nicky Schiller
Live reporter

I'm at the end of the Palestinian march in Parliament Square where many of those who marched through the centre of London have stayed to hear the speeches.

As I type this the crowd is chanting "ceasefire now".

The organisers said today's protest was part of a global day of action involving 30 countries calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

One of the biggest cheers since I have been here was for the former Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who addressed the crowd. He, as other speakers have, not only called for a ceasefire but also praised South Africa for their case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide - something Israel vehemently denies.

There is a strong police presence. The Met Police says six arrests were made for a range of alleged offences.

People are now starting to disperse as the protest winds down.

We're seeing unconfirmed reports of an explosion in a Houthi-held area in Yemen.

AFP news agency reported an explosion in the port city of Hodeidah, citing a military source allied with the Houthis and a police source.

The military source said that it was a blast at a site "from which a Houthi rocket [had been] launched".

Other media in the region also reported an explosion in Hodeidah.

Detail is scarce for the moment. We'll bring you more on this as soon as we can.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us, here's a round-up of the key developments from across today:

• US President Joe Biden says he has delivered a private message to Tehran about the Iran-backed Houthis "responsible for attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea
• The message follows a fresh attack by the US on a Houthi site in Yemen overnight
• The US said its warship fired missiles at a radar site, while local media said it struck an air base near Yemen's capital, Sanaa
• The Iran-backed Houthi rebels reported no injuries, and vowed a "strong and effective" response
• The US said the action was "designed to degrade the Houthis' ability to attack maritime vessels", following the group's spate of attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea

• Also reported today, a missile attack narrowly missed an oil tanker along the key trade route - landing just 500 metres from the vessel
• And in Gaza, Palestinians have faced further Israeli bombardment, with reports of strikes along the length of the territory overnight
• The Israeli military says it "eliminated terrorists" in Khan Younis in the south. It also reported killing three men who it said had infiltrated the Israeli settlement of Adora in the occupied West Bank
• Elsewhere on Friday night, rockets were fired into southern Israel from Gaza
• In an update, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 23,843 have been killed there since 7 October

Paul Brown
BBC Verify

Image source, Maxar Technologies

Newly released satellite imagery from Yemen has revealed some of the damage caused by strikes on Houthi facilities over the past two nights.

The images, released by Maxar, primarily show damage to areas around an airport and air fields. They were captured on 12 January, and therefore do not show the results of last night's strikes near Sanaa.

In Hudaydah on the western coast of Yemen, we can see a number of damaged structures within the airport complex.

Scorch marks are also visible in a south-western area of the international airport in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa. The US military has said it struck an airfield in the vicinity of the airport on both nights.

And in Taiz, a building just to the east of the runway appears to have been completely destroyed.

The images also show the build-up of crowds ahead of yesterday’s mass rally in Sanaa, during which Houthi officials denounced the overnight strikes and vowed revenge.

Image source, Reuters

Some news from Washington now.

President Joe Biden says the US has delivered a private message to Tehran about the Iran-backed Houthis responsible for attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Reuters news agency reports.

"We delivered it privately and we're confident we're well-prepared," Biden told journalists at the White House.

In the occupied West Bank town of Zeita, a teenager has reportedly been killed after an alleged attack by Israeli forces, according to reports.

His age is not immediately clear - some reports say 18, others 19 - but he has been identified as university student Khaled Ahmed Zubaidi.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, two others were wounded after Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on the town.

Citing a nearby hospital, Wafa says Zubaidi was killed after being shot in the waist and severely beaten by soldiers, noting signs of beatings on his body.

The BBC has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.

BBC Sounds

For merchant sailors, navigating one of the world's most significant shipping lanes - the Red Sea - has become perilous.

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Yemen's Houthis have launched a spate of attacks on merchant shipping along the key trade route.

The UK and US responded this week with a series of strikes on targets in Yemen "designed to degrade the Houthis' ability to attack maritime vessels".

In the latest episode of the BBC's 5 Questions On podcast, international editor Jeremy Bowen, security correspondent Frank Gardner and BBC Arabic reporter Amira Mhadhbi answer the key questions on the current state of tensions in the Red Sea.

Listen here.

Image source, Getty Images

The United Nations' special envoy to Yemen has expressed concern over recent developments involving the country and urged "all involved to exercise maximum restraint".

In a statement, Hans Grundberg reiterates UN secretary general António Gueterres' call for involved parties to avoid actions that would "worsen the situation in Yemen, escalate the threat to maritime trade routes, or further fuel regional tensions at this critical time".

He also stresses the need to "protect Yemeni civilians and to safeguard the progress of peace efforts".

Grundberg notes "with serious concern the increasingly precarious regional context and its adverse impact on peace efforts in Yemen and stability and security in the region".

He concludes by urging all involved to "prioritise diplomatic channels over military options and calls for de-escalation".

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier today, we reported that three Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. Israel accused them of infiltrating the Israeli settlement of Adora.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have offered some more detail on the incident, quoting commanders in the area as saying a "significant attack" was avoided.

Posting on X, external, the military says the three attackers encountered a "strong and ready defence system".

• In-depth: Divided communities in the occupied West Bank

As we reported earlier, Yemen has suffered years of civil war - with the Houthis in control of much of western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

Now, Yemen's internationally-recognised government has condemned the Houthis for "dragging the country into conflict" after the US and UK-led attacks on Houthi targets this week.

In a statement, shared by the official Saba news agency on Friday, the Aden-based authority accused the rebels of "creating a conflict for propaganda", following their attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea, and "false claims" of support for Gaza.

It stressed the need to restore legitimate state institutions in Yemen to ensure security in the Red Sea.

The government also condemned Israel's bombardment of Gaza and called for prompt access to humanitarian aid for Palestinians.

Nicky Schiller
Live reporter in central London

I'm in central London where thousands of people have set off for the first big march of the new year in support of the Palestinian people.

The organisers says it's part of a global day of action involving 30 countries. They are calling for a full ceasefire in Gaza - many of the placards have "Ceasefire Now!" on them.

We've seen a giant puppet of a Syrian child refugee named Little Amal, which will walk with the demonstrators to highlight child refugees.

There is a significant police prescence with around 1,700 officers on duty. This is the seventh national march and police in London say the majority of protests have taken place without notable disorder, but there have been a number of arrests.

The officer leading the operation - Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor - says anyone who "intentionally pushes the limit" on placards and slogans is warned they face arrest.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

It's not easy for Western journalists to get into Yemen, but the Reuters news agency has spoken to people this morning in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, about the recent US-UK strikes.

As our correspondent Frank Gardner wrote earlier, the West is keen to separate the strikes in Yemen from Israel's war in Gaza - but that message seemingly hasn't got through in Sanaa.

"This brutal British aggression on Yemen is because the Yemeni people are standing with Gaza and with the resistant Palestinian people," says resident Nour al-Din Shamiri.

"And because we are standing steadfast with Palestine, they are targeting us with a brutal aggression."

Government worker Mohammed Samei says: "This was a brutal aggression, a violation of our sovereignty.

"I mean, after 10 years of war on the Yemeni people, a siege on land, air and sea, and to add to that they are targeting us with a new aggression. This is a new stage of the conflict."

A retired government worker, Hussein Kabsi, says: "Our stance is unwavering - we will [continue] to stand with our brothers in Palestine and Gaza until victory and until all Palestinian land is liberated - not just Gaza."

As a reminder, Yemen has suffered a long civil war - and Sanaa is in part of the country that's controlled by the Houthis.

Image source, Reuters

We're focusing on Yemen and Gaza today - but, while it is not directly related, there is violence elsewhere in the region, too.

Turkey's defence ministry says it conducted overnight air strikes on "terrorist targets" in Iraq and Syria after nine of its soldiers were killed in a military base in Iraq.

It says the strikes targeted 29 locations including "caves, bunkers, shelters and oil installations" belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the People's Protection Units (YPG) militia - both of which Turkey regards as terror groups.

Turkey has a long-running campaign against the PKK, a group also regarded by much of the West - including the UK, external and US - as a terrorist organisation.

How separate are Yemen and Gaza? It depends who you askpublished at 11:39 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January

11:39 GMT 13 January

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

The official Western government line on the ongoing airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen is that these are quite separate from the war in Gaza. They are "a necessary and proportionate response" to the unprovoked and unacceptable Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, they say.

In Yemen and the wider Arab world they are viewed rather differently.

There, they are seen as the US and UK joining in the Gaza war on the side of Israel, since the Houthis have declared their actions to be in solidarity with Hamas and the people of Gaza. One theory even says that "the West is doing Netanyahu’s bidding".

It is still possible that these airstrikes will have a chilling effect on the Houthis. They will certainly degrade their capacity to attack ships in the short term.

But the longer these airstrikes persist, the greater the risk that the US and UK get sucked into another conflict in Yemen.

It has taken the Saudis more than eight years to extricate themselves from there - and the Houthis are now more entrenched than ever.

Image source, Reuters

In Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced a "temporary tactical suspension of military activities, external for humanitarian purposes" in Rafah until 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT).

It follows a night of Israeli attacks on the southern city, where many from elsewhere in Gaza have sought shelter.

Samir Qeshta says his home was "completely destroyed" in the bombardment.

"This house sheltered me and my children. I was preparing my son to get married and live in it as I furnished it," he tells the AFP news agency.

"We are peaceful people, they struck us without prior warning. I was visiting my sister and my wife was at her parents' house."

Nimma al-Akhras was at home when the bombardment began.

"The strike was unimaginable," she says. "We started screaming and I couldn't move until someone carried me and put me on a cart.

"What did we do wrong? We were just sitting. It's not safe in our homes nor outside. Where can we possibly go?"

As a reminder, Israel says it targets terrorists and their infrastructure - and that it tries to minimise civilian casualties.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

The recent US and UK strikes on Houthi targets will cause some Yemenis to "rally around the flag", Professor of Middle East studies at the University of Tehran, Hassan Ahmadian, tells the BBC News channel.

He says the Houthis' popularity has risen in Yemen - and across the wider region - after its attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which the group says is "targeted at Israel when it's waging a war on the Gazans".

As such, the US and UK's attempts to frame their recent action as separate from the Gaza war is a "hard sell in the Middle East", Ahmadian says.

"It plays into many narratives... that when it comes to Israel and its war on Gaza, the United States is supporting the violation of international law," he says.

"But when it comes to Yemen, it's moving against what it sees as a violation of international law - which is a double standard, a hypocrisy. This attack will only exacerbate that."

Further Houthi attacks are likelypublished at 10:42 Greenwich Mean Time 13 January

10:42 GMT 13 January

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

The US says the strikes on Houthi positions are designed to degrade their ability to continue with their drone and missile attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea.

The Houthis say their actions are in reaction to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and have vowed to retaliate.

An official said the response to the “hostile actions” by the US and Britain, which helped carry out the first wave of attacks, would be “very harsh and painful”.

They launched a missile yesterday which, according to the Pentagon, missed its target.

Further attacks by the Houthis are likely. US and UK officials say Iran has provided not only weapons but also intelligence to the Houthis.

Last night, President Biden warned the Houthis of further action if the violence continued, hours before the US military launched what it described as a follow-up strike targeting a radar facility.

The Biden administration says it is not interested in a confrontation with the Houthis, which controls much of Yemen.

But there are concerns things could escalate. Lt Gen Douglas Sims, director of the American military’s Joint Staff, said the US was ready for a response.

“We simply are not going to be messed with here,” he said.