The American website "Al-Monitor" expected that US President Donald Trump's team would seek to launch a strict campaign against the Houthi militia in Yemen, whose continuous attacks have complicated shipping and transportation routes, leading to higher costs in Egypt and elsewhere.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday evening the appointment of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State in his new administration, and he also assigned Tulsi Gabbard, a defector from the Democratic Party known for her pro-Russian positions, to head the US National Intelligence Directorate.

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said that its position on the new US administration depends “on its positions and practical behavior towards our Palestinian people, their legitimate rights and their just cause.”

CNN quoted officials, who it described as being familiar with internal discussions in Israel, as saying that the Prime Minister of the occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, is waiting for the results of the American elections to know who the next American president will be, before committing to a diplomatic path that could end the war that has been raging for more than a year on the Gaza Strip.

The United States is investigating the leak of highly classified U.S. intelligence about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran, according to three people familiar with the matter. One of the people confirmed the authenticity of the documents.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced early Thursday that US forces had carried out strikes against five fortified underground weapons storage sites in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, shortly after violent explosions were heard in the capital, Sanaa.