epa11070001 Houthi troopers stand guard during a gathering at the end of a military training, in Sana'a, Yemen, 11 January 2024. Yemen's Houthis top leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi has warned in a televised address on 11 January that any US military operation against his movement will never go unanswered, two days after the Houthis launched a large-scale missile and drone attack against international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, in response to a previous US Navy attack on Houthi boats in the Red Sea that killed 10 Houthi fighters on 31 December 2023. The US Department of Defense had announced in December 2023 a multinational operation to safeguard trade and to protect ships in the Red Sea amid the recent escalation in Houthi attacks. The Houthis have vowed to attack Israeli-bound ships and prevent them from navigating in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in retaliation for Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.  EPA/YAHYA ARHAB