The United States and Britain launched new strikes on Yemen’s Huthis Monday, saying their second round of joint military action against the Iran-backed rebels was in response to continued attacks on shipping.

American and British forces carried out a first wave of strikes against the rebel group on January 11, and the United States launched further air raids against missiles that Washington said were ready to launch and posed a threat to both civilian and military vessels.

But the Huthis have vowed to continue their attacks and said Monday that they targeted a US military cargo ship — an assertion a US official disputed.

The latest US-UK strikes were against “eight Huthi targets in Yemen in response to the Huthis’ continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea,” Washington and London said in a joint statement with other countries that supported the military action.

They “specifically targeted a Huthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Huthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities,” the statement said.

“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Huthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners,” it said, adding that the rebel group had carried out “a series of illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing” actions since the previous joint US-UK air raids.

Yemen’s official Saba news agency said that “American-British forces are launching raids on the capital of Sanaa” and several other parts of Yemen, while Huthi TV outlet al-Masirah said four strikes targeted the Al-Dailami military base north of the capital, which is under rebel control.

Earlier on Monday, Huthi rebels claimed they fired on a US military cargo ship off the coast of Yemen.

– Two months of attacks –

The rebel group “led a military operation targeting the American military cargo ship Ocean Jazz in the Gulf of Aden,” near the Red Sea, with missiles, said Huthi military spokesman Yahya Saree.

Asked about the claim, a US defense official told AFP: “We’re not seeing that at all on our end and believe that statement to be untrue.”

The Yemeni rebels began striking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israeli-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Hamas-Israel war.

The Huthis have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well.

In addition to military action, Washington is seeking to put diplomatic and financial pressure on the Huthis, re-designating them as a “terrorist” entity last week after dropping that label soon after President Joe Biden took office.

The rebels reiterated on Monday that they will “respond to any attack” on Yemen and continue to “prevent Israeli ships” from crossing the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until the end of the war in the Palestinian territory.

Yemen is just one part of a growing crisis in the Middle East linked to the war in Gaza, where Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground offensive have killed at least 25,295 people, around 70 percent of them women, children and adolescents, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Israel’s campaign began after the unprecedented October attacks by Hamas resulted in the deaths of about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Rising tensions and violence across the Middle East — involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen — have stoked fears of a wider regional conflict.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Ram Temple in Ayodhya will be thrown open to the public this morning, a day after the much-celebrated consecration ceremony, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by a host of politicians and celebrities. 

The gates will open to the public from 7 am to 11:30 am and then again from 2 pm to 7 pm. 

The ‘pran pratishtha’ rituals were carried out yesterday, with PM Modi prostrating himself before the Ram Lalla idol. The ceremony witnessed the presence of dignitaries, including Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Prime Minister Modi, expressing his emotions on Twitter, said, “The extraordinary moment of the consecration of Shri Ram Lalla’s life in Ayodhya Dham is going to leave everyone emotional. It is my great pleasure to be a part of this divine programme. Jai Siya Ram!”

अयोध्या धाम में श्री राम लला की प्राण-प्रतिष्ठा का अलौकिक क्षण हर किसी को भाव-विभोर करने वाला है। इस दिव्य कार्यक्रम का हिस्सा बनना मेरा परम सौभाग्य है। जय सियाराम! https://t.co/GAuJXuB63A

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2024

Following the ritual, PM Modi addressed a gathering of about 8,000, consisting of seers, individuals associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, and celebrities from various fields. The Prime Minister also visited the Kuber Tila and interacted with workers involved in the temple’s construction.

READ | “Seek Lord Ram’s Forgiveness, Because…”: PM Modi On Ayodhya Temple

While the ceremony was broadcast to the nation, senior BJP leaders like JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah watched the event through live streaming. However, Opposition leaders chose to skip the event. The run-up to the consecration ceremony was marked by political sparring between the ruling BJP and the Opposition, with the latter terming it an “RSS-BJP event”. 

Several BJP-run states declared the day a holiday to allow people to witness the ceremony on TV and participate in local temple events. The atmosphere in Ayodhya was further enhanced by a devotional “Mangal Dhwani,” featuring 50 traditional musical instruments from across the country.

READ | Explained: From 1528 To 2024, A 500-Year Timeline Of Ayodhya Ram Temple

The construction of the Ram Temple comes after a prolonged legal battle that concluded with the Supreme Court ruling in favour of the temple in November 2019. Prime Minister Modi, addressing the nation, declared the consecration of Ram Lalla’s idol as the advent of a new era.

“I have come before you are witnessing the divine consciousness in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. There’s so much to say but, but there’s a lump in my throat. After unprecedented patience, innumerable sacrifices and penance, our Lord Ram has arrived. I congratulate the country on this occasion,” the Prime Minister said. 

PM Modi called for unity and insisted that the temple is not just a symbol of triumph but also humility, showcasing India’s maturity in resolving historical disputes. He urged critics to reconsider their views, stating that Ram symbolises energy, not fire, and is a solution, not a dispute.

“The construction of this temple of Ram Lalla is also a symbol of the Indian society’s peace, patience and mutual harmony. We can see this has not given birth to a fire, but an energy,” he said.

In a powerful and emotional speech after the consecration ceremony, PM Modi said the temple represents peace, patience, harmony, and amity in Indian society. He invoked the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam,’ stating that Ram defines the world as a family.

The Himanta Biswa Sarma government in Assam has denied permission to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra to move through arterial roads in Guwahati as it re-enters Assam today after its Meghalaya leg. The move comes amid a heated exchange between the Assam Chief Minister and Congress leaders, who have accused him of creating roadblocks in Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Arguing that it is a working day in Guwahati and allowing the yatra to move through key city roads may lead to traffic snarls, the state administration has asked the rally to take the national highway route as it moves towards lower Assam. The yatra has been asked to take the National Highway 27 that acts like a ring road around the city. 

This comes a day after dramatic scenes played out near the shrine of a 15th century social reformer in Assam. Mr Gandhi had planned to visit the birthplace of Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva near Guwahati yesterday. Soon after the plan was announced, Chief Minister Sarma urged Mr Gandhi not to visit the shrine before the Ram Mandir ‘pran pratistha’ ceremony in Ayodhya.

“I urge Rahul Gandhi to not create a notion that there is a competition between Ram Temple and Batadrava Satra because the TV channels will be flashing Ram Temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony on one side and him visiting Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva’s birthplace on the other side. This won’t be good for Assam.” Mr Sarma said.

The shrine’s managing committee, too, said Mr Gandhi will not be allowed to enter before 3 pm.

The Congress leader and his associates were stopped on their way to the shrine. Thereafter, they sat on a dharna at the site of the roadblock. Party MP Gaurav Gogoi and Batadrava MLA Sibamoni Bora proceeded to the shrine and offered prayers.

Speaking to the media later, Mr Gandhi said he believes in the philosophy of Sankardeva. “We, like him, believe in bringing people together and not spreading hatred. He is like a guru to us and gives us direction. So I had thought when I came to Assam, I should offer my respects to him,” he said.

‘Gaurav Gogoi and all can go, but only Rahul Gandhi cannot go. I don’t know, there may be some reason, but I will go to Batadrava when I get an opportunity,” he said.

Now, the Congress yatra has been denied permission to enter Guwahati roads. Instead, it must travel via the National Highway 27, bypassing Guwahati.

The Congress has alleged that the Himanta Biswa Sarma government is creating hurdles in the yatra. They have also referred to the incident in which a group of workers started raising ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Modi, Modi’ slogans while Mr Gandhi’s yatra was passing. “Since our entry in Assam, the most corrupt CM in India has been carrying out relentless attacks on our convoys, properties and leaders using his goons,” the Congress has alleged.

Mr Gandhi’s yatra, meanwhile, hit a roadblock in Meghalaya, where the BJP is part of the ruling alliance.

A plan for an interaction between the Congress leader and students at a university in Meghalaya was cancelled after permission was denied. Mr Gandhi will now meet students at a hotel near the Assam-Meghalaya border. At Meghalaya, he will also be meeting Congress leaders from the Northeast.