Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels warned on Thursday 11 January that any attack by US-led forces on Houthi targets will spark a fierce military response. The Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea since late November, and say their assaults are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Most of the ships targeted have no connection to Israel. “We will not hesitate to do everything we can, and any American aggression will never go unanswered,” Abdel Malek al-Houthi, Houthi rebels’ supreme leader, said.