'You will pay consequence': US warns Iran over 'lethal' support to Yemen's Houthi rebels

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday warned Iran there would be "consequence" for giving "lethal" support to Yemen's Houthi rebels.
"Message to Iran: We see your lethal support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know very well what the US military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the consequence at the time and place of our choosing," Hegseth posted on X.

Hegseth's warning to Iran comes after the US and the UK conducted joint airstrikes targeting the Houthis. This was the British military's first attack in Washington's new and intense campaign targeting the Tehran-backed group.

While the US has offered few details about what it says are more than 1,000 targets it has hit since beginning "Operation Rough Rider" against the Houthis on March 15, the UK offered a detailed explanation for the April 29 strike.
The British defense ministry said in a statement, "This action was in line with long-standing policy of the UK government, following the Houthis initiating their campaign of attacks in November 2023, threatening freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, striking international ships, and killing innocent merchant mariners."
The statement added, "Careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings, used by the Houthis to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, located some fifteen miles south of Sanaa. Very careful planning had been completed to allow the targets to be prosecuted with minimal risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure. As a further precaution, the strike was conducted after dark, when the likelihood of any civilians being in the area was reduced yet further."
Typhoon FGR4s of the UK's Royal Air Force participated in the joint airstrikes.