NEW YORK, December 29. /TASS/. US Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, has suggested hitting targets in Iran over Tehran’s alleged support for Yemen-based Houthi rebels.

"The Houthis are completely backed by Iran. I’ve been saying for six months now: hit Iran. They have oil fields out in the open, they have the Revolutionary Guard headquarters you can see from space. Blow it off the map," he said in an interview with Fox News.

Following the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Yemeni Houthis said they would strike Israeli territory and prevent ships associated with Israel from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave was halted. The US authorities responded by announcing the establishment of an international coalition and preparing Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure freedom of navigation and protection of ships in the Red Sea. Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, Spain and the UK are expected to take part in the operation.