Lord Peter Ricketts, former UK diplomat and national security adviser, tells the BBC that the US and UK strikes on Houthi targets were a necessary and inevitable attempt to send a "really powerful message" to the rebel group.

"But, equally, being clear they're targeted against the attacks on shipping - it's not a declaration of war against the Houthis more generally," he adds.

Ricketts says he does not believe the action will "escalate into a regional war with Iran", and that the US and UK made calculations to ensure action can be "limited to dealing with the Houthis".

"I don't believe that Iran is looking to get involved in this. I think it suits Iran fine to have their proxies doing this to show that they are leading in the anti-Israel, anti-West stakes as far as the Muslim world is concerned."

Ricketts adds that the "greatest risk of spill over" is "extremist pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and in Syria who may well launch attacks on US bases there".

Francesca Gillett
Live reporter in Washington DC

Here in the US, President Biden is coming under pressure from members of his own party’s left flank, who are unhappy that Congress wasn’t asked for approval before the strike.

Congressman Ro Khanna said Biden should have come to Congress before “involving us in another Middle East conflict”.

Oregon Congresswoman Val Hoyle agreed, saying: “Congress has the sole authority to authorize military involvement in overseas conflicts. Every president must first come to Congress and ask for military authorization, regardless of party."

Meanwhile, New York Representative Gregory Meeks said he supported these "targeted, proportional strikes" but called on Biden to "continue diplomatic efforts" to avoid a broader regional war breaking out.

According to the US National Constitutional Center,, external Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to “declare war” – but the extent to which this limits the president’s ability to launch military action is disputed.

In modern times, presidents have used military force without express consent from Congress first, it says.

As we've been reporting, the US and UK hit several targets in Yemen overnight in response to the Houthis' attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

They reportedly targeted Houthi positions near the important cities of Hudaydah, Taiz and Sanaa.

The Houthis today control a large swathe of the country that used to be the territory known as North Yemen - a separate country until 1990. This includes several major population centres, the capital Sanaa and much of the Red Sea coast.

Image source, .

Nawal Al-Maghafi
BBC International Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

It is doubtful that last night's strikes will stop the Houthis from launching further attacks in the Red Sea.

If anything, their messaging this morning suggests the exact opposite.

Several Houthi officials have already come out condemning the strikes, which they say are aimed at “protecting Israel” and “stopping Yemen’s support for Palestinians” – a message which is likely to resonate not just domestically but across the region.

Indeed, Houthi leaders and their supporters are presenting the strikes as evidence they are the only force in the region taking action to help Palestinians, as audiences across the Arab and Muslim world continue to watch Gaza being pounded daily by Israeli airstrikes for more than three months.

The group's leaders - while reiterating their message that the Red Sea is “safe” for ships "not linked to Israel" - insist that last night’s strikes will not deter the group from taking action again.

They say the only way they will stop is if there is a ceasefire, and humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza.

As politicians in the US and UK sit tight awaiting the Houthis' next move, the group's officials have already vowed to respond to the strikes.

This could mean further attacks on US or UK ships, but may extend to target bases across the Arabian Peninsula. This perhaps explains Saudi Arabia’s statement - within hours of the strikes, Riyadh expressed “grave concerns” at the developments in the Red Sea.

What will the UK and US do then?

Frank Gardner
BBC security correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Mass demonstrations like this are not uncommon in Yemen but this one is exceptionally large.

Unemployment is high in this impoverished nation, the poorest in the Arab world, so it’s relatively easy to get people out onto the streets. There is also a strong religious and anti-Western factor here.

The Houthis call themselves ‘Ansar Allah’ meaning ‘Party of God’ and they have always been hostile to Israel.

This increased after they took over most of the country in 2014 and forged a strategic alliance with Iran.

Global supply chains could face severe disruption as a result of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, writes our business reporter Michael Race.

The world's largest shipping firms have been diverting vessels away from the Red Sea and onto a much longer route around Africa's Cape of Good Hope and then up the west side of the continent.

That adds least 10 days and millions of dollars to shipping calculations - costs which are then passed onto customers.

Given 12% of annual global trade passes through the Red Sea, the potential disruption for global supply chains could be enormous.

Consumer goods "will face the largest impact", according to Chris Rogers, head of supply chain research at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Nawal Al-Maghafi
BBC International Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

The question is, how are the targeted areas struck in the last 24 hours are different to those the US- and UK-supported Saudi-led coalition hit over the past nine years?

The attacks on the military sites are symbolic and the aim is to send the Houthis a clear message: that the West is willing to take action if the Houthis continue to disrupt shipping routes in the Red Sea.

But, will the Houthis take notice? Militarily, the Houthis have been underestimated time and time again. The sites that have been targeted barely touch the surface when it comes to their military capabilities - especially their maritime weapons.

If there is one thing the war against the Houthis in the last nine years has achieved, it is the strengthening of its ties with Iran. And with Iranian support, they seem to be more strategic and more equipped than anyone wants to acknowledge.

We've been hearing some analysis on the military strategy behind the strikes in Yemen from Vice Admiral Kevin M. Donegan, who was the most senior US naval commander in Middle East from 2015 to 2017.

He says the purpose was not to "to make the Houthis go away" in one strike. Rather, he says, they were designed to prove "there is meat behind the words" and deter future attacks.

He adds the strikes were equally aimed at deterring Iran, who provide the Houthis with equipment, training and intelligence.

The Houthis have vowed to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea.

Matthew Davis
Live reporter

It's just gone 14:00 in London, 17:00 in Sanaa and 09:00 in Washington. Here's a quick reminder of the main lines we've been covering since the US and UK launched overnight strikes on some 16 Houthi sites in Yemen:

• The Houthis have vowed that the strikes by air and sea - said to have targeted command centres, munitions depots and air defence systems - will not go without "punishment or retaliation"
• The group says five of its fighters were killed in the military action, which the US and UK said was in response to repeated Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea
• A Pentagon spokesman said the US had warned "very loud and very clear there would be consequences. And last night there were"
• For its part, the UK rejected criticism from Nato partner Turkey that the strikes were "disproportionate" after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the allies of trying to turn the Red Sea into a "sea of blood"
• British PM Rishi Sunak says the strikes were "limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence"
• But there are fears that the airstrikes could increase tension in the Middle East, and the price of oil jumped by 4% in Friday trading

Image source, .

In 2011, a popular uprising in Yemen forced its long-standing authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Hadi took over an economically torn country but didn’t have enough political power to rule its army. The Iranian-backed Houthis took advantage of his weakness and, in early 2014, seized control of the north west of the country and captured the capital Sanaa.

This alarmed Saudi Arabia, who were afraid their neighbouring country could become a satellite of their rival, Iran.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states began an air campaign aimed at ousting the Houthis and restoring Hadi's government.

The coalition received logistical and intelligence support from the US, UK and France.

The Houthis have attacked targets in Saudi Arabia since then with ballistic missiles and drones.

Saudi officials accused Iran of smuggling weapons to the Houthis. Iran has denied the allegation.

The Saudi-led bombing campaign has killed around 20,000 people, about half of them children, according to the UN.

Kayvan Hosseini
BBC Persian reporter

Iran has never directly engaged in military operations to support the Houthis in Yemen.

However, they have been accused of breaching UN Security Council resolutions by supplying the Houthis with missiles and drones.

Iran has consistently denied these allegations, yet the Houthis' military capabilities have seen a significant enhancement over the years.

When the UK spoke of possible military action against the Houthis last week, media outlets linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards promptly reported the deployment of an Iranian warship to the Red Sea.

This action was widely interpreted as more of a symbolic gesture than a genuine military threat.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Iran has positioned itself as a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause, pledging support for any efforts aimed at countering Israel.

Despite this, the likelihood of any major escalation between Iran and the UK-US alliance in the Red Sea remains minimal.

The Iranian Quds Forces, the international arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are renowned for their unconventional guerrilla warfare tactics.

It is difficult to envision a shift in their approach in the Red Sea context, especially given their limited capacity for direct confrontation with the UK and its allies.

What weapons do the Houthis have?published at 13:19 Greenwich Mean Time 12 January

13:19 GMT 12 January

Image source, Getty Images

In addition to boats and helicopters, the Houthis have relied on both drones and missiles in their recent attacks in the Red Sea.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or so-called "kamikaze drones" have been used to target commercial shipping. The Houthis have previously deployed Qasef drones, as well as the longer range Samads, with their distinctive V-shaped tail fins.

Much of this weaponry has been acquired by the Houthis to use in their long-standing conflict with Saudi Arabia. The United States along with other Western countries maintain that Iran is providing Houthi forces with drones and more advanced missile technology.

In December 2019, the US said, external that its navy had intercepted a vessel in the Arabian Sea carrying cruise missiles from Iran destined for Yemeni rebels.

The UN has suggested, external that components for Houthi weaponry have also been sourced through global civilian supply chains.

Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder says US strikes targeted specific facilities and capabilities with the intent of disrupting the Houthis - and that they have not seen any retaliatory action.

“But we're, of course, prepared to respond appropriately,” he added.

Speaking to the BBC’s US partner CBS, Ryder said it's important to differentiate between what is happening in the Israel-Hamas war and what's happening in the Red Sea.

“You have the Houthi rebels that are conducting industry attacks against international shipping - over 50 countries have been affected by this, affecting the economic prosperity of multiple nations. So this is not part of the Israel-Hamas conflict,” Ryder said.

The Houthis have declared their support for Hamas and since November have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea more than 20 times using missiles, drones, fast boats and helicopters. They have claimed - often falsely - the ships were linked to Israel.

Dharshini David
Chief economics correspondent

As 2023 drew to a close and inflation subsided, it felt like the UK was finally turning its back on the cost of living crisis.

But the Middle East escalation represents a new potential challenge. The most serious economic risk would be a significant rise in the cost of fuel and energy - 13% of crude oil travels by this route.

And if the conflict escalates, there are worries about potential interruptions to shipments of liquid gas from Qatar, an increasingly important source for Europe after it turned its back on Russian supply.

But we are currently well stocked and most of our supply is derived from the North Sea. Any impact on bills would not be felt for several months even if wholesale prices were to rise.

So while this is not derailing the UK's prosperity yet, the unrest on the Red Sea – if it is prolonged and escalates – could threaten growth and declining inflation at a time when the economy is already quite fragile.

The UK prime minister's office has dismissed criticism that the British and American strikes on the Houthis were excessive.

The criticism came from Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - a Nato ally - who called the strikes "disproportionate" and accused the UK and US of trying to turn the Red Sea into a "sea of blood".

A spokeswoman for the prime minister called them "limited and targeted strikes in response to aggression".

She added that they may not make much difference now, but would have a "positive effect" in the longer term in protecting shipping activity in the Red Sea.

The price of oil has jumped by 4% this morning after UK and US forces carried out military strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

A barrel of Brent crude is currently at $80.55.

The attacks have increased fears that the airstrikes could increase tension in the Middle East threatening the supply of oil from the region. The Houthi attacks have been concentrated in the Red Sea, but analysts worry that if disruption spread to the Strait of Hormuz, there would be a more significant impact on the supply of oil.

Some 20m barrels of oil per day move through the Strait of Hormuz, which is equivalent to 20% of global consumption, according to analysts at the bank ING.

Image source, .

MP Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson, is calling for an immediate recall of the UK parliament and a retrospective vote on the military action taken against the Houthi rebels.

She tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme that members should be able to scrutinise the intervention, arguing there is a "precedent for parliament to be able to have its say".

Moran says the Commons should be made aware of the "careful consideration of where does this end", adding: "Are we being drawn into something where we risk being, quite literally, on the front line of a region that is described by many, quiet rightly in my view, as a tinder box?"

Image source, UK Parliament

Before Christmas, the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon spoke to the BBC about her relatives in Gaza.

Speaking today, she says the Christmas period was "difficult" with the situation for her family "going from bad to worse".

"With one eye on what's happening to them, what we can't risk is this escalating. What we need is that immediate bilateral ceasefire."

Adam Clements, a former US Army attaché to Yemen, says he is "fairly pessimistic" that the strikes on Yemen will have the intended effect of deterring further Houthi attacks.

"The Houthis have been fighting a long war with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and have accumulated years of experience in hiding their supplies and mitigating risks," says Clements, who is also a former Pentagon official.

"On top of this as well, the Houthis also are going to play very differently to their domestic intelligence and constituencies. They're going to play on this victimisation card," he tells the BBC.

Jonathan Beale
BBC defence correspondent

President Biden has said he won’t hesitate to take further military action if necessary.

But the US has also made clear that it does not want to see a widening conflict in the Middle East. That suggests that any future US-led military action, if necessary, would again be limited.

Airstrikes and long range cruise missiles are the least risky and costly for the US President in an election year.

Remember the US has also been using limited airstrikes to target other Iranian backed groups in Iraq and Syria in recent months. But at best it’s a deterrent. It will not eliminate the threat.

The strikes last night might also have degraded and destroyed some of the Houthis' ability to launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

But the Houthis have survived much worse – including years of being targeted by the Saudi Air Force.

In public at least they remain defiant. They still have the capacity to launch further attacks. The only real option left for the US and UK is then doing more of the same – targeting from a distance.

The US has bitter recent experience of more direct military action in the region – such as putting boots on the ground.

Image source, Reuters

We've just heard from a Kremlin spokesman condemning the US and UK strikes in Yemen.

"From the point of view of international law, they are illegitimate," says Dmitry Peskov.

Peskov also says that the Kremlin has repeatedly urged the Houthis to cease attacks on shipping.

Russia, which has been criticised for what the West says is an illegal war in Ukraine, says the attack on Yemen took place without any mandate from the United Nations and was an illegal "adventure" by the US and its allies.

As we reported earlier, the Kremlin is also calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday.

Russia is a close ally of Iran, which arms, trains and supports the Houthis.

Russia and China abstained on Wednesday from a UN Security Council resolution that demanded the Houthis immediately cease their attacks on shipping and noted the right of UN member states to "defend their vessels from attack".