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breaking news this hour, the u.s. ant britain going after militants backed and funded by iran. not long ago, iran condemned the strikes calling them a violation of international law. and russia has requested an emergency meeting of the u.n. security council later today. the coalition strikes are a direct response to the worsening surge of attacks on ships in the red sea from houthi. many of the houthi launches have been intercepted by the u.s. led coalition that had been playing defense until now. american fighter jets have been taking off from the uss dwight d eisenhower aircraft carrier to carry out their mission.

the u.s. president issued this statement. these targeted strikes are a clear message that the united states will not allow attacks on ore personnel or imperil freedom of navigation. i will not hesitate to take further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary. we are also hearing from the pentagon. >> we reserve the right to protect and defend our forces and the global trade that transits through the red sea and take necessary steps to make sure that the houthi understand loud and clear it is unacceptable to conduct these illegal attacks. >> a senior says it is unclear what houthi asset haves been droid but the amount was quote significant. houthi militants are lashing out against the u.s. and the

u.k. strikes. one senior leader issued a statement saying quote we will confront america, make it kneel down and burn its battleships and everyone who cooperates with it no matter the cost. the houthi called on the world to prepare for america's defeat and not to abandon the people of gaza. we are following all of this live from abu dhabi. do you expect a longer more broad campaign against the houthis? >> reporter: well, kim, everybody we are hearing from, from the u.s. side including the u.s. president joe biden is saying that they wouldn't hesitate to carry out more if needs. and the expectation is that there will be some kind of retaliation from the houthi side. now what we have heard from one senior administration official is he said this may not be the last word on the topic and when we have more to say and do,

you'll hear from us. more than 60 targets have been targeted at this point. but we also know that one resident has told us there is smoke and there may have been another target hit. but we are waiting for confirmation or any clarification from the pentagon at this point. the u.s. is leaving the door open for further attacks if need be. we heard from the iran backed houthi rebels that they will retaliate. we heard from a spokesperson saying quote, they were wrong if they thought they would deter yemen from supporting palestine and gaza. if these attacks took place, there would be repercussion percussions. a deliberate aggression. this is something the u.s. had

warned some time. if these houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the red sea and u.s. and u.k. asset ins the red sea continued, that there would be consequences and this is what we have seen. >> it is not just a u.s. strike. the u.k. was a partner as well as several other countries. how important is that? >> well i think from the u.s. point of view, they would believe it does add legitimacy. the fact this is not them acting unilaterally. they do have the support of many other countries because it is many countries affected by these commercial sell sells targeted in the red sea. and the united security council resolution which condemned the houthi attacks in the red sea and said that they should stop. there were 11 countries voting

in favor. four abstaining including russia an china. it showed there was widespread support for the condemnation. and that also would have likely given u.s. officials some sense of legitimacy. that this is something that they could carry out. it wasn't just the u.s. and the u.k., carrying this out as well. there was support from australia, bahrain, canada and the netherlands and the operation they have ongoing in the red sea to protect commercial vessels has many more countries signed into it. >> thanks so much. the houthi deputy foreign minister is warning the u.s. and the u.k. to prepare for severe repercussions. the militant group has launched retaliatory attacks. cnn's nick robertson has more. >> reporter: so those targets in the town and the southwest,

the western port city along the border or close to the border with saudi arabia, also around the capitol. those targets at radar sites, ballistic missile launch and storage sites, cruise missile launch and storage sites. drone launch and storage sites, those are intended as the coalition says as the united states says to send a message. but they are intended to degrade their ability to target shiping in the red sea. but already, the houthi are saying they are going to respond against u.s. and u.k. interest. it was u.k. typhoon fighter jets that targeted two different sites. it was the united states, missiles and fighter aircraft. who will say they will respond? u.s. interest in the region,

how will they respond? the potential here for escalation is very real. to target shipping in the red sea to send a message. remembering of course that after october 7th, they began by trying to target israel sending cruise missiles to israel. some of those were intercepted by the united states, by the u.k., also by saudi arabia, so, there are a number of different ways and places that the houthi can target back. they have had a long running war against saudi arabia that only just ended not so long ago, where they were sending long range cruise missiles to the capitol. they sent drones into the united arab emirates. so there's a number of ways they can destabilize in their own view, u.k. and u.s. interests in the region. by doing it not just in the red sea, but more broadly across the region, so the concerns of the saudis about the potential for escalation are very real. they have been worrying about

october 7th attack israel's response to that escalating tension for northern border. all of them trying to stoke tensions in the region. the one who precipitated this escalation. the saudis say the freedom of navigation in the red sea is of vital importance in the region. while they are not part of the military coalition in the red sea, they are giving it a green light to go ahead. but this potential right now depending on the houthi response, this is a very, very volatile time right now. nick robertson, cnn, tel aviv, israel. >> we are joined by mcryan, a former commander of the defense college speaking with us from brisbane, australia. so first your assessment on

what the strikes may have accomplished from a u.s. point of view. >> 60 targets. this will include not just launch sites but probably missile storage sites. but also the command and control and sensors thaw use to target ships and provide guidance starter to the missile sos it would have been a comprehensive first strike. but i expect they will be doing analysis and follow-up strikes. >> so follow-up strikes, the biden administration says the strikes may not be the last word. so, what could the first word be? >> it would be unusual if they got everything they wanted to hit in one strike. it is very difficult to me. but houthis are leaning into more aggression here so i expect there will be other missile sites and storage depots they will want to hit in

the coming days or weeks. >> you mentioned the houthis and their response. how do you think that might happen and where? >> i thought the previous package was a pretty comprehensive run down. there are ways we might get beyond the current weapon systems. they may want to have terrorist attack ins the region or sea mines. that would be a difficult challenge indeed for the navies of the world to ensure freedom of navigation through those areas. >> so what kind of message is this sending to iran and could this constant friction against the iran backed proxies force the west into a confrontation with iran itself? >> at the moment the west is tackling the proxies iran uses so it doesn't have to confront united states or israel directly whether that is hamas in gaza or the houthi here.

iran will need to watch itself and really be careful. it is not keen on a direct confrontation, that is why it uses proxies. >> what impact do you think that might have on israel's war on hamas? derailing any saudi peace efforts? >> there will be an information war wear. the houthi will want to maximize the information impact of the strikes as more western aggression against palestinians and arab people more generally. so i expect we will see a fair bit of propaganda for those associated with them including iran. >> we'll leave it there. appreciate your analysis. thanks for speaking with us. >> thank you. much more to come. when we come back, also ahead, we will tell you about closing arguments in donald trump's new york civil fraud trial and the

familiar but false claims he is making. plus, hunter biden enters a plea during a hearing in his federal tax case. now a date has been set for his trial. we'll have details on that just ahead. stay with us.

the u.s. and britain have been striking britain. a direct response to attacks on commercial ships in the red sea. iran is condemning the strikes but u.s. officials warn the houthi stop the attacks or there will be consequences. >> reporter: president biden saying thursday night the u.s. is sending a clear message to the houthi that their ongoing attack ins the red sale will no longer be tolerated. he said in a statement that he

will also not hesitate to direct further measures to protect personnel. u.s. officials have been warning for weeks that the houthis must stop its attacks. on shipping vessels in the red sea. what we are learning tonight, this was just two days ago, had targeted some u.s. vessels. and what we are told by sources is that had it not been for this defensive coalition called operation prosperity guardian that was already set up by the u.s. in a number of its allies in the red sea, we may have seen situations where ships were sunk by these attacks and there was an instance within the last month where a commercial vessel may have been hit. the senior official saying that some of these were basically close calls.

now, it was after these tuesday's attacks that president biden we are told convened his national security team and asked them to draw up a number of possible plans for retaliation. and that is what ultimately culminated in these air strikes, conducted by the u.s. and the u.k. with the support of a number of other nations. what one senior military official said, while it is not possible to say exactly what the damage was, that the damage to the houthi rebels and assets could be described as significant. cnn, the white house. and this just in, british prime minister rishi sunak will be in kyiv in the coming hours. it says britain's military aid to ukraine in the next financial year will include more than $3 billion, $250 million for the production of military drones. the u.k.

calls it the largest delivery of drones to ukraine from any nation. it will include the u.k.'s commitment to consult with u.k. all right, to new york now, where both sides wrapped up closing arguments in donald trump's $370 million civil fraud trial. the judge is expected to rule by the end of the month. trump delivered what were effectively campaign speeches inside and outside the courtroom. he repeated a litany of false claims insisting the records were accurate when the judge determined already he is liable for fraud. listen to this. >> the banks were extremely happy with me. they still are. we built a great company. we have a company that is very liquid and strong. >> paula reed is in new york.

>> reporter: usually closing arguments are an opportunity for lawyers to summarize their theory of the case. and, the day kicked off with trump's lawyer laying out their theory of the case. arguing this is a political persecution. and that his client trump had no intention of defrauding banks and that the banks were never harmed. but after he wrapped his remarks, he asked if his client could have a few minutes to address the court. and the judge granted it saying i'll give you five minutes and the judge had previously set a restriction on trump saying you can participate in closing arguments but you can't give a campaign speech. and that is exactly what trump did. attacking the judge, attacking the attorney general's office and insisting he is a quote innocent man. now trump addressed the public on his way into court. on his way out of court. those remarks in court and then had a press conference. so it appears he got a real return on investment here in terms of amplifying his

argument that he is being targeted because of a desire by his political opponents to try to quote interfere in this election. but i want to note something that the attorney general's office said in their closing arguments. they noticed that even though chris talked for two hours, other attorneys got up and laid out their closing arguments. not one person addressed the false financial statements that trump submitted that misrepresented his assets by billions and those are really the key to this case. paula reed, cnn, new york. president biden's son hunter pleaded not guilty to tax related charges in a federal court in california on thursday. for tax years 2016 through 2019, hunter biden spent his money on drugs, escorts, and girlfriends, luxury hotels, exotic cars, and basically everything but his taxes. his attorney argues the charges are part of a political hit

job. republicans have accused president biden from benefiting financially from his son's dealings. these claims remain unproven. the judge has set hunter biden's trial date for june 20th. all right, we'll get back to our breaking news after a short break. the u.s. and u.k. launching air and sea based strikes against iran backed houthi targets in yemen. also ahead, israel is set to defend itself against accusations of genocide in gaza. we'll have details on the hearing next.

huh. internet's out. wanna hear a fun fact? elbows are impossible to lick. i meant your own elbows. you don't settle for bad internet. that's why you have the xfinity 10g network, with ultra-low lag for better streaming. wish you would have been more specific about your elbow. only from xfinity. our breaking news, the u.s. and u.k. launched a series of strikes on houthi targets in yemen. the strikes are retaliation for a barrage of houthi attacks on

commercial shipping in the red sea. western officials say the campaign involved british tornado fighters, jets and the u.s. tomahawk missiles. the airport hitting more than 60 houthi targets, missile and radar surveillance facilities. they launched 27 missile and drone attacks on red sea shipping lanes in re¢ months. more than 2,000 ships have been forced to reroute to avoid the vital water way. lloyd austin released a statement that read in part this action is intended to disrupt and degrade the houthi's capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global trade. in one of the world's most critical waterways. it sends a clear message they will bear further costs. but, the houthis have heard that language before when they were put on notice by the u.s. and allies. but they didn't listen.

>> reporter: after repeated warnings to the houthi in yemen to stop attacking international shipping lanes in the red sea, one of the world's most critical waterways, the u.s. and the u.k. got to the point where they felt compelled to act. early friday morning yemen time at 2:30, the u.s. and the u.k. backed by several partners carried out series of more than adonis strikes against sites if in yemen used by the houthi. launch sites, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles these are significant. the u.s. not trying to start a war or escalate with the houthi but these are systems they have used repeatedly to attack international shipping lanes according to u.s. central command. they launched at least 27 attacks against commercial vessels in the red sea. again an absolutely critical waterway and those attacks have forced some of the world's largest shipping companies to avoid the red sea. forcing them to add thousands of miles. the u.s. set up operation prosperity guardian to defend

the shipping lanes but that was purely a defensive operation. when the attacks continued and certainly after tuesday when we saw the largest such barrage launched from the houthi, the u.s. stepped in, prepared its plans and finalized the plans and acted. intended to degrade. the u.s. trying to contain this so it doesn't escalate too much. but fully aware of the risk of escalation knowing the houthis promised to respond to any american action. it is worth noting with defense secretary lloyd austin in the hospital, following complications from a surgery for prostate cancer, he tracked this very closely and was intimately involved in the planning the course of the last 72 hours holding two calls with president joe biden and multiple daily calls with the nsc. the chairman of the joint chiefs and the commander. thursday, he gave the order to

execute the strikes and we saw those play out late in the evening. the u.s. essentially carried out the warning that we have seen them threaten repeatedly. that if the houthi attacks on international shipping continues, the u.s. and the u.k. will be forced to act. where does this go for here as the houthis promise a response. and do the iranians essentially get into this and respond in their own fashion? those are the questions. mixed reactions. some democrats are criticizing note getting congressional approval. >> you should have come as the constitution requires to congress. and that was echoed in a bipartisan way. jonathan jackson, many other senators and congress people.

the constitution requires that if there is not an imminent threat of self-defense, that he has to come to congress and here we know, this has been going on since december. he assembled an entire international coalition. he certainly should have come to congress so we could discuss whether this put more american troops at risk. concerned about revaluation in iraq and whether it could draw us into a middle east war. i believe he did not follow the constitution. >> senator mitch mcconnell and others welcomed the sites but blamed the president for not acting sooner. >> it's a bold action by president biden. i think it is overdue. based on what we have seen, it is fairly comprehensive and should go a long way to deterring the task of degrading their capability to continue conducting these attacks against commercial shipping in

the red sea. >> according to a congressional source, leaders in congress were briefed by senior biden administration officials earlier on thursday. well next hour, israel is expected to defend itself at a top u.n. court against south africa's accusation it is committing genocide in gaza. it is calling on the court to order a halt to israel's military campaign in gaza. arguing israel icest's attacks intended to bring about the destruction of the enclave's palestinian pop youlation. a lawyer for south africa says the world has failed the people of gaza. >> despite the horror of the genocide against the palestinian people, being live streamed from gaza. to our mobile homes, and television screens. the first genocide in history where the victims are broadcasting their own

destruction in realtime in the desperate so far vain hope that the world might do something. gaza represents nothing short of a moral failure. >> israel strongly denies the allegations calling the case atrocious and preposterous. listen to this. >> south africa's hypocrisy screams to the high heavens. where were they when people were being uprooted by hamas' partners. we know where we are. >> i want to bring in katrina murdoc, a partner at global rights compliance. thanks so much for being here with us. i want to start with what we saw there. how strong is south africa's case against israel accusing them of genocide? >> it looks very compelling.

it is important to stress for the procedures, they need to establish genocide conduct. but certainly the content in information we saw looks incredibly strong. as well as the information and evidence we have seen the last 13 weeks. >> how do you expect israel to defend itself which they will be doing in the coming hours? >> it will be an interesting day, certainly, the conduct we have seen and the statements they have made in the runup and indeed, even conduct as of yesterday. we can expectmore of the same in terms of denials and a blatant disregard for their conduct. >> most of the accusations in that says center around the deaths of civilians in gaza in the context of bombings by israelis but they are saying

israel is using starvation as a weapon. some experts say this could be one of the largest manmade famines in recent memory. what are you seeing? >> actually, i think it is really important to stress that the body that classifies food insecurity, the ipc, they made the findings and they found this is the highest level of people facing acute food insecurity. that initiative has ever classified before. so we really are seeing staggering numbers of those at risk of famine. and acute food insecurity. and this is actually one of the eight factors that south africa is arguing that underpins the general sighal conduct. it is a staggering situation. >> you mentioned that report. human rights watch accused

israel of a war crime. you have experience, in various countries. do you believe what we are seeing now is a war crime? >> the last 30 minutes we looked at this closely. on a preliminary assessment, agree that this has all the hallmarks of this being used as a war crime. the deliberately using starvation as a method of warfare. it is clear. >> you say deliberate. i want to ask you about this. the head of the israeli agency that facilitates in gaza said yesterday there is enough food going into gaza and he said quote israel has not and will not stand in the way of providing humanitarian aid to the people of gaza that are not part of terror, not our enemy. so, international agencies and most gazans themselves said there definitely isn't enough food going in. international law states intentionally using starvation

of civilians as a method of warfare by depriving them of objects for survival is a violation. that word intentionally. how important is that when trying to prove wrong doing? >> it's a good question. the intent component of this crime. the war crime is really the crux of the crime itself. in many ways, it is comparable to genocide in that sense. in that the intent can actually surpass them. the physical acts you are dealing with. you need to establish two things. that there is an intent to deprive civilians as you describe objects indispensable to survival. and a deliberate intention to starve the civilian population. now, i think that israel counterposition that aid is freely allowed in and there isn't any obstruction is

frankly quite absurd. we know an average of 70 food trucks were entering gaza before the war every single day. last week, they averaged over 100 trucks able to get in. even if they have the access into the area, this is coupled with an almost impossible situation to deliver the aid when there is such a sustained bombardment. it is is a compelling and impossible situation for humanitarian actors. in terms of the intention as well. very rarely do you see perpetrators broadcasting their intention. it is not something that tends to happen. in this situation, we see this on a number of occasions. where this is deliberately broadcast by senior officials. and numerous statements to that effect. >> i want to ask you, starvation as a war crime

specifically has never been prosecuted. you are calling for an independent investigation. what are you looking for? have you had a response? would israel allow that given they continue to bar foreign journalists from accessing gaza to cover the war? >> no. i don't think we get any access granted by the israeli officials. this would be an independent investigation. it is really, really important. especially at this particular moment to preserve the information and archive that in a way that can be used to future legal proceedings. whether that is before international criminal court or other accounts, so, there is a huge amount that can be done without field access. the last five investigations we have conducted, two otherwise of the have been, we had field access. the rest have been entirely

remotely conducted. using testimony and engagement with survivors and witnesses outside of the affected area. so what we are looking for is more, sharing the information we are seeing around attacks on objects indissensible mo survival. the attacks we are seeing on funeral facilities. shelter. agricultural facility it is. those are neatly looked into. and also, analyzing the rhetoric and statements of intent we are seeing. and that would be the proceeding. >> all right, so much online. we'll be watching that course as it winds its way later today. really appreciate getting your expertise on this, katrina, thanks so much for speaking with us. >> thank you very much. thank you. well, the u.s. has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to ukraine. but now we are learning some of the most sophisticated weapons supplied to kyiv were not properly tracked. thatat's ahead. . stay with us.

more on the u.s. and u.k. strikes on the houthi targets in yemen. the iran backed militant group has issued a strong condemnation causing the strikes barbaric and unjustified aggression. this comes after the u.s. strikes in response to weeks of houthi attacks to international shipping in the red sea. ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy is making a case against pressing the pause

button in the ongoing conflict with russia. he said pausing the war would give moscow a badly needed break before they struck again. >> to not allow the conflict to freeze. to not give russia the opportunity to prepare for a powerful counterattack. in a year, in two, in three. in five. to not let them do it. >> zelenskyy repeated his call for allowing ukraine into nato and said kyiv should be invited to the alliances summit in washington this july. u.s. military has not properly tracked more than a billion dollars worth of weapons for ukraine. according to a new report by the pentagon's inspector general. the weapons belong to a category that requires enhanced monitoring. the watchdog says it is outside the scope of its investigation to find out what happened to

them. the pentagon suggested there is no reason to believe foul play was involved. >> there remains no credible evidence of illicit diversion. we see instances of russia continuing to spread disinformation to the contrary. but the fact is as we observe the ukrainians employing these capabilities on the battlefield, we are seeing them use them effectively. >> the report came as republicans are stalling more than 60 billion-dollars in u.s. military aid for ukraine. the findings could bolster their argument against sending more aid. media in iran report the navy has seized an oil tanker in the gulf of iran. it was boarded by at least four armed people thursday and was set for iranian waters. it was in retaliation of the

u.s. con field access stating the same ship last year. tanker tracker says the vessel is a marshall islands flagged crude oil tanker named saint nicholas. all right, still to come, millions in the u.s. are under a threat of severe weather. and millions more can see bone chilling cold and snow. we'll bring you the forecast after the break. stay with us.

we are following breaking news from the middle east where the u.s. and the u.k. launched a wave of missile and

air strikes. in just a few minutes ago, the british junior armed forces minister said that no more u.k. missions in the area are immediately planned. the strikes were in retaliation for a recent wave of houthi attacks on commercial ships in the red sea. the u.s. air force reports hitting more than 60 targets at 16 locations. one senior u.s. official says it is significant. russia is calling for an emergency meeting of the u.n. security council. across the united states, millions are under threat of severe weather today. and millions more can look forward to bone chilling cold, snow, even blizzard conditions. more than 240 daily cold temperature records could be tied or broken across the country through tuesday. courtesy of a massive storm system impacting the u.s. more than 50 million people in the southeast are under a severe storm threat today or tornadoes, high winds large

hail threaten the region. and flood watches for more than 35 million people across the eastern seaboard. seems boeing's problems with its 73 # max 9 jets are far from over. a classifies action lawsuit hads been filed against the aerospace giant aboard the alaska airlines flight 1282. alleges passengers were physically injured and emotionally traumatized. the federal aviation administration is opening an investigation into boeing's quality control. boeing says it will cooperate fully with the investigations. all right, that wraps this hour of cnn news room. breaking news, coverage of tensions in the middle east continue. next. with max foster.

hello and a warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states and all around th. >> and i'm manx foster. just ahead -- >> they were designed to be deliberate. >> and already houthis are saying that they will respond against u.s. and uk interests. >> temperatures are dropping. it was warmer this morning. >> kids are out of school. >> this is