Britain and US launch strikes on Houthis as rebels warn ‘heavy price’ will be paid – latest updates
Britain and the United States have launched targeted strikes against military bases used by the Houthis in Yemen, with rebel officials warning that a “heavy price” will be paid for the attacks.
British aircraft and Royal Navy ships are involved in the operation approved by Cabinet ministers in an emergency joint call, with Rishi Sunak saying the UK will “always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade”.
Houthi officials have warned that US and UK will “have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences” for what they called a “blatant aggression”.
The US Air Force said American and British forces struck more than 60 targets in 16 locations. Rishi Sunak stressed that the action taken was “limited, necessary and proportionate… in self-defense”.
Houthi television channel Al-Masirah said the air strikes hit the capital Sana’a as well as the cities of Hodeida and Saada.
The decision to strike the Yemeni rebels follows a day of frenetic behind-the-scenes activity in Whitehall, including an emergency Cobra meeting of senior ministers and a gathering of the National Security Council.
Houthis ‘cannot use global trade as ransom,’ says minister
We cannot allow the Houthis to use global trade as a ransom to achieve their aims, the minister for the Armed Forces has said.
James Heappey told the BBC: “Whatever you think of the Houthis’ cause and their justification… we cannot allow them to seek to choke off global trade as a ransom to achieve whatever their political and diplomatic aims are.”
When asked about possible further missions, he said: “There are none immediately planned, and that’s an important point. Last night was a limited, proportionate, necessary response.”
At least five killed in strikes against Houthis on Yemen, says group
At least five people were killed and six wounded in US-led strikes on Yemen, a Houthi spokesman has said.
The group’s military spokesman said that strikes against the movement by the United States and Britain would not go without “punishment or retaliation.”
The Houthis would continue to block the passage of ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, he said.
Houthis are responsible for escalation in the Red Sea, says France
France reaffirmed its condemnation of Houthi strikes on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, calling for those to stop immediately in the wake of attacks launched by the United States and Britain against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
The French foreign ministry said: “Through these armed actions, the Houthis bear the extremely heavy responsibility for the regional escalation.”
It comes after Britain and the United States launched targeted strikes against military bases used by the Houthis in Yemen, with rebel officials warning that a “heavy price” will be paid for the attacks.
