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rebels hit back after overnight strikes on the human but the white house says it is not interested in war. israel rejecting accusations of committing genocide in gaza as a distortion of the truth. eight massive lizard hits iowa just as it is about to kick off the election contest. we will hear from our reporter on the ground. ♪ welcome to world news america the houthis are valuing the u.s. and u.k. are -- confirming they had 30 locations identified in threats in response to weeks of attacks by the orion-backed houthi movement on the ships in the red sea disrupting commercial movement. there was a response today with

an antiship ballistic missile but did not cause damage. a coalition of countries were involved in last night's military operation to destroy houthi-command centers, munitions depots, and air defense systems. jeremy bowen has a look and the consequences for the region. correspondent: in the capital of yemen, a huge rally in support of palestinians filled the city's broadest boulevard. it was organized. the houthis did not allow unauthorized protests, but without question millions in yemen and across the arab world are appalled by israel's conduct and because of war in regard the american and british airstrikes as an escalation on behalf of israel. during the night they launched their attack from a battle group in the red sea. they warned the houthi this was

coming if they did not stop hitting shipping. they are intended to show western red lines will not turn pink under pressure but if anything, the houthis will be more determined to carry on. >> a military spokesman said the americans and british were responsible for criminal aggression, which will be answered with a tax on all hostile targets on land and sea. the raf release video of its jets taking off for yemen from a british base in cyprus. the british are trying to distance airstrikes aimed at openg the red sea from the war in gaza. >> it is clear that this behavior can not happen without a response and we have to signal this breach of international law is wrong and people cannot act like this with impunity and why we decided to take this action. correspondent:correspondent: an

american military sposman told cbs news in the u.s. at the strikes were nothing to do with gaza. >> it is important to differentiate between hamas and the red sea. you have the houthi rebels conducting indiscriminate attacks against international shipping affecting 50 countries and the prosperity of multiple nations. correspondent: but the houthis whose commanders captured a ship in december site their tax are to support palestinians in gaza and to hit israel's allies. iran provides the houthi training ands weapons and they say that attacks will go on until the fighting in gaza stops. britain and the u.s. oppose an immediate cease-fire in the war. the airstrikes, this was the raf,, are only partly about freedom of navigation in the red sea. the reality is they are directly linked to events in gaza and

present an escalation in the crisis that is gripping the middle east. jeremy bowen is a bbc news. anchor: we got an update and the threat of original conflagration with major general product trick rider press secretary for the u.s. defense department. major general, the houthis have retaliated launching an antiship ballistic missile. what impact has that had so far? >> well what we know right now is they have launched a single missile. the initial reports we received are that it has not struck anything. in other words, it landed in the water. we will continue to monitor the situation. it is important to understand the context. as you know, last night the united states and the united kingdom would support from other countries conducted strikes in houthi-controlled areas of yemen to degrade and disrupt

the ability to conduct the attacks we have been seeing since november. again, considering the size and scope of those attacks and considering some of the rhetoric we have seen coming out of the houthis, it is probably likely we will see these kinds of activities but it is certainly our hope they will receive the message loud and clear that these kinds of illegal reckless and dangerous attacks are unacceptable, and the international community sent a very clear message last night. anchor: you are saying you sent this message with the strikes that were intended to degrade the capabilities of the houth and they have retaliated and we are likely to see these you sites that was it a success? >> i think the scope and scale is important. one missile does not constitute a significant retaliatory action , so i would not necessarily describe it as retaliatory. what we are seeing here is an

effort on the part of the houthis to say hey, we are still standing but right now i think the houthis are evaluating what capabilities they have, and they have a hard decision whether they want to continue to fuel the condemnation and the results and response from the international community. at the end of the date, our focus is ensuring that red sea the vital international waterway is safe and secure for international shipping in the lives of mariners, so that is what we will stay focused on. anchor: are you confidence that this shipping route is now safe and will not the attack? >> well look>> looks a reality as is probably too soon to tell. we have heard the rhetoric and seen the attacks. we will work through operation prosperity garden and with our international partners around the world to ensure that mariners can make it through the red sea waterway safely and securely, and most importantly

the houthis need to stop these attacks. and so, we will continue to stay focused on that end. anchor: you mentioned international partners even sunk u.s. allies in the region are concerned that a wider regional conflict. is the u.s. already caught up in such a conflict? >> well, again, it is important to separate the different parts here. when hamas attacked on october 7. shortly after that, the u.s. sent capabilities to the region in support of original deterrence efforts. these capabilities provide us with additional assets to be able to respond to a wide range of contingencies. what we are seeing near yemen in the red sea is the houthi rebels attempting to exploit the situation, but ultimately at the end of the day, 50 nations are affected sending ships through the waterway. we did not want to see an

extension of the conflict in gaza brought her in the region and will continue to work hard on that, but we cannot allow the houthis to continue to conduct these attacks putting innocent marinerslives at' risk and affecting the globals economy. anchor: the houthis said they want to see the poor on gaza invite israel so u.s. and its partners should be putting pressure on israel to wind down its operation to make sure there is not a larger region conflict? >> well, you know, again, what you see are the houthis attempting to exploit the situation in gaza towards their own end but we the united states will stand by israel and support its inherent right of self-defense. as you know as a close partner to israel we have been consulting with them regularly to learn more about how they intend to conduct their operations and also making very clear our expectations in terms

of taking civilian safety and civilian humanitarian assistance into account. and so we will continue to do that, but at the same time it is important to understand that what the houthis are doing here is attacking the international community. again, over 50 nations affected by this problem and it required an international response, and last night youaw a response. anchor: general, one question about defense secretary austen who has been hospitalized, as you know, and the president to today said he had confidence in his secretary. how is he doing and is he able to carry through his tasks as this operation is going on? >> absolutely. the secretary is in good condition, recovering well, and was actively engaged throughout this operation both overseeing and directing it. on tuesday when the houthis conducted their complex attack in the red sea, the secretary conducted a meeting with the joint chiefs of staff and the

commander to monitor that attack. he subsequently has had two meetings with the president and also multiple daily calls with our international security advisor, chairman in the central commander to look at response,, and ultimately execution options once the president gave the authorization to conduct the strikes. then yesterday, secretary alston was the one who gave the order to the u.s. central command commander to go ahead and execute the strikes, and he monitored it real-time from his hospital room with access to full communication sweet so he has been actively engaged throughout and continues to monitor the situation today. anchor: we will have to leave it there but thank you for joining us on bbc news. >> thank you. i appreciate it. anchor: israel made its case to the international court of justice on friday telling judges they should for out a case brought by south africa which alleges israel is committing genocide in gaza in its war

against hamas. lawyers argued that kate lacks merit and the truth is being distorted for israel. it is the second day of the landmark case which began yesterday with south africa presenting its argument. our diplomatic correspondent has more on the case. correspondent: in the area, the terrible story of the war. members of the family killed by israeli airstrikes prepared for burial. israel's military campaign in gaza is now more than three months old. the killing, the destruction are nonstop. far away at the hague, israel stands accused by south africa of genocide. today, a chance to defend itself. >> is there a reason these people are unworthy of protection? correspondent: and rebind the world how this war started, with murder in the taking of hostages. >> the absurd upshot of south

africa's argument is this, under the guise of the allegation against israel of genocide, this court is asked to call for an entire operations against the ongoing attacks of an organization that pursues an actual genocidal agenda. correspondent: the court was shown evidence which israel said proved hamas was using schools and hospitals for its operations and israel was doing what it could to ease the suffering. >> here you can see the idf arabic twitter account providing information for civilians to evacuate specific areas. >> yet the applicant astonishingly claims that these efforts are in themselves genocidal. correspondent: israel says its military operation could last for many more months. it says the court has no legal basis on which to order a halt, and the whole case against israel is fundamentally flawed.

>> there is no genocidal intent here. this is no genocide. correspondent: back in the area, and narrow escape for a team of rescue workers. no one doubts the horror of the past three months, but is this just war or something worse? anchor: now let's hear the argument from south africa. here is the closing statement from their lawyer. >> the international community continues to fail the promising people despite the overt dehumanizing genocidal rhetoric by israeli government and military officials, matched by the israeli army's actions on the ground. despite the horror of the genocide against the palestine people being out live-streamed from gaza to our mobile phones, computers and television

screens, the first of genocide in history where its victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real-time in the desperate so far vain hope that the world might do something. anchor: in the court is expected to make a ruling on south africa's proposed emergency measures by the end of the month, but its final ruling on the charges of genocide will likely take years. here in the u.s., blizzard conditions and bone chilling temperatures are forecast for the iowa caucuses on monday and they are halting presidential campaigning ahead of the 2024 election cycle. the national weather service estimates the coldest caucus not in water in history with monday's high temperature expected to be minus three degrees fahrenheit or -19.4° celsius. the unrelenting weather for some candidates to cancel in person events. it is stoking worries that the cold might keep caucus-goers from turning out. this was des moines friday

morning, a blizzard blanketed the city and nearly 1 foot of snow and it is forecasted to continue into the weekend. and in the middle of all of that is our bbc reporter, standing by for us in des moines. i don't know what to ask. what are things like? it looks pretty miserable. correspondent: well, at the moment, it is about 13 below, and very very windy. it started snowing must night and has been steadily snowing throughout the night and into the morning. we drove through des moines earlier today and the conditions were dicey on the roads and nearly white out conditions and very slippery and it has only gotten worse. the temperatures are starting to drop in the wind is picking up in the national weather service has warned in the next coming days this evening as well there could be life-threatening conditions. they warned exposed skin could get frostbite in as little as 10

minutes. that is causing concern into caucus night which they forecast will be the coldness of the stretch of days. so it is causing concern for the candidates here in des moines. anor: we mention some candidates had canceled events. is there a sense houthis and clement weather might hurt or even help? -- who this and clement weather might hurt or even help? correspondent: there is consensus building here that this weather would help donald trump. there is kind of an agreement among most iowans that his supporters of the most dedicated, but since he is comfortably in the lead in the ron desantis and nikki haley had significantly smaller percentages of supporters here in iowa that this hurts them if there supporters do not caucus on monday, butt the same time i have spoken with a lot of iowans who say this kind of normal for them, perhaps slightly colder.

they take the responsibility seriously as the first in the nation caucus, so i think turnout will probably be ok from what i gather from locals, but we will have to see. anchor: we will let you get inside. stay safe. thank you very much. in taiwan, candidates have been holding their last rallies before voting in presidential elections beginning on saturday. a sobering issue looms large over the campaign, how taiwan should address the threat from china. on the ballot is taiwan's current five president -- vice president vowing to strengthen ties with other democracies. the opposition party candidate says he will push for more dialogue with beijing. the upstart tpp is seeking a middle ground and gaining traction with young voters. from taipei, rupert wingfield-hayes reports. correspondent: the taiwan elections ongoing, boisterous

affairs of the islands democracy is still young, enthusiasm for ting is palpable. in front of the presidential building in taipei, supporters of the ruling dpp are hoping for an unprecedented third presidential term. young voters told me they want to send a message to beijing that taiwan is nothing like china. >> we in taiwan can stand for our rights on the street and express our opinions. we can vote for president. we can have many many different voices, no matter if you support government or not, but in china there is only one voice. correspondent: there is nothing like this in china. this is what sets taiwan apart. people here are free to choose their own leaders. they are proud of their democracy, but they also fear it is now under threat from china like never before. across town, the opposition kmt

is holding its own rally. their candidate says a third term for the dpp would be a disaster that could lead to war with china. if elected, he said he would open a piece dialogue with beijing. >> we prefer to get along with them peacefully. so our economics can be improved. yeah, that is what we want. yeah, we don't want our young people to get into the war. correspondent: they may differ on how to manage the threat from beijing but both the major parties in taiwan agree on one thing, neither of them one's unification with china. anchor: the u.s. says it will send a team of senior officials to ecuador to fight the criminal gangs that carried out waves of deadly violence this week. more than 22,000 ecuadorian troops are ca carrying out a

crackdown following it. today, i confirmed another top gang boss also escaped. prison gang members are still holding nearly 200 guards hostages at jails across the country. he says the criminals are terrorists in ecuador is or with them, but is it a war he can win ? we set them with the president at the end of a devastating week for his country. correspondent: it has been the hardest week in ecuador's modern history. drug gang violence reminiscent of latin america's darkest years has turd the traditionally peaceful nation into a battlefield. i spoke to ecuador's youngest ever president, only in power since november, with the daunting task of restoring peace. >> i did not sign up for this thinking it will be easy. we cannot continue this game that these terrorist groups are trying to establish. but now, we are starting to see

changes. correspondent: washington announced it is sending military and diplomatic team to ecuador to support the government. critics see u.s. imperialism at play, but not the president. >> it is encouraging to see the international community actually paying attention to what is going on here, because i think it affects the whole world. the narco terrorists that operate here have operations in europe, operations in the u.s., and i think that we need to solve the problem from the roots, and the root of the problem is here. correspondent: unverified video purportedly shows some of the 180 prisoners still being held hostage by the gangs. the government says it is fake. the families are growing desperate. >> we are in constant communication with the armed forces and with the poilce and

have established security protocols. and we will do everything in our power to those people home. correspondent: in part, the chaos in ecuador was sparked when a gang leader escaped from prison last week. i asked the president if he knew where he was. correspondent: we are looking for him. >> right now we do have a few leads. we have talked with the armed forces, also with international cooperation, and we are working on it it -- it. correspondent: it is ecuador a narco state? >> we are fighting every day so it does not become a narco state. i do believe we can win and i will never stop fighting until we win. correspondent: the president may be confident that ecuador is not yet a narco state but with troops on the street, he remains at a state of war. anchor: ok, let us take a quick look at some other headlines from around the world. the sub-saharan african nation

has been declared malaria-free for the first time in 50 years according to the who are at that status means that ivan has not reported a single case of local transmission of the disease in three years. malaria is a huge killer on the continent coming more than 500 80,000 people in africa in 2022. and floods have caused chaos in the democratic republic of congo with the river," reaching its highest level in six decades. water has poured into homes and residents are navigating submerged roads in the capital city. many of the small rivers and streams in the city have now over flooded. officials report more than 300 people have died in floods they are over the past few months. ♪ and before we go, scientists say they have made a discovery that challenges our understanding of the universe. a giant ring-shaped structure in space. experts at the university of central lancashire say it is 1.3

billion light-years in diameter and appears to be roughly 15 times the size of the moon and the night sky as seen from the earth. named by the big ring by astronomers it is made up of galaxies and galaxy pressures and structures that should not exist, according to one of the guiding principles of astronomy. now some scientists say it is time to reconsider how we think the universe works. all right. remember, you can find more on all the days news on our website, bbc,/news. plus, to see what were working on anytime, check us out on your favorite social media site. thank you for watching world news america and do stay with bbc news. ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors.

narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

jeff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. >> and i'm amna navars. reached attacks in the r