Yemen's Houthis vow to continue attacks in Red Sea

The Houthi movement threatened a "strong and effective response" after the United States carried out another strike in Yemen overnight, further ratcheting up tensions as Washington vows to protect shipping from attacks by the Iran-aligned group.

The strikes have added to concerns about the escalation of the conflict that has spread through the region since the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel went to war, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

The Houthis say their maritime campaign aims to support Palestinians under Israeli siege and attack in Gaza, which is ruled by the Iran-backed Hamas. Many of the vessels they have attacked had no known connection to Israel.

The group, which controls the capital Sanaa and much of the west and north of Yemen, has also fired drones and missiles up the Red Sea at Israel itself.

In Sanaa, government employee Mohammed Samei said the attacks were an act of "brutal aggression" and marked a new stage of a war Yemen had endured for 10 years.

On Friday, hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Sanaa, chanting slogans denouncing Israel and the United States, footage broadcast by the Houthis' Al-Masirah TV showed.

Commercial ship-tracking data showed at least nine oil tankers stopping or diverting from the Red Sea.

Houthi attacks have forced commercial ships to take a longer, costlier route around Africa, creating concern about a new bout of inflation and supply chain disruption. Container shipping rates for key global routes have soared this week.