THE Iran-backed Houthis have vowed “unimaginable” revenge in the wake of the US and UK’s overnight blitz on their military bases in Yemen.
The furious rebel group called the coalition strikes that hit 60 military targets and killed five of their militants an act of “war” as a full-blown conflict threatens to explode in the region.
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Western coalition forces smashed dozens of military targets, including an airbase, airport and army camp in what Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called ” a proportion action of self-defence”.
The PM today said the UK needs to send a “strong signal” that the Houthi rebel attacks are wrong and cannot be carried out with “impunity”.
He said: “Our aim is very clear, it’s to de-escalate tensions and restore stability to the region.”
US President Joe Biden hailed the air strikes on sites used by the Iran-backed militia group a “success” – but added he would “not hesitate” to launch more.
It’s the first time strikes have been launched against Houthis since they began wreaking havoc on international shipping in the Red Sea in mid-November.
And it marks a dramatic escalation in the crisis that for weeks has been threatening to ignite an all-out war across the region over Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas.
The Houthis announced that five militants were killed and six injured by the overnight assaults.
Their furious forces have vowed to retaliate to a scale “beyond the imagination” and told the US and Britain they had made a “huge mistake launching the war in Yemen”.
Houthi spokesman Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti also added on Al-Arabi TV that “American interests will be a target for our forces wherever they are”.
Sunak said: “Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships just this week.
“This cannot stand. The United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade.”
Iran fumed that the strikes on Yemen were a “clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and a violation of international laws.
The attacks “will have no result other than fuelling insecurity and instability in the region,” foreign ministry’s spokesman Nasser Kanani said.
It comes as…
- Sunak has warned that UK needs to send ‘strong signal’ to Houthis
- President Biden said ‘he will not hesitate’ to launch further strikes to protect the free flow of commerce
- Houthi leaders have warned US and UK would ‘pay a heavy price’ and they would strike back with ‘unimaginable’ revenge
- Both Iran and Hezbollah have condemned the attacks as a ‘clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty’
- Turkey’s president Erdogan said the US & UK were ‘trying to turn Red Sea into sea of blood’
- Last night, four RAF Typhoon jets bombed two Houthi targets, flying from Akrotiri base in Cyprus
- US warship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles and US jets attacked 16 sites
- Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands also backed the US-UK airstrikes
- The strikes followed gunmen storming a Greek-owned 900ft tanker carrying 145,000 tons of crude and ordered it to sail to Iran
Iran’s terror proxies and Houthi allies, Hezbollah and Hamas, have both condemned the strikes and blamed the US and UK for escalating the conflict.
Today, the UK’s Ministry of Defence released dramatic footage of the moment RAF Typhoons conducted precision strikes on two Houthi military targets.
Sunak said the “targeted strikes” were “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence”.
They followed soon after masked gunmen in military uniforms stormed the St Nikolas – a Greek-owned 900ft tanker carrying 145,000 tons of crude – and ordered it to sail to Iran.
Iran’s navy said the seizure was in retaliation for the ship and oil it had aboard being confiscated by the US last year.
Last night, US Air Force Lt Gen Alex Grynkewich said they had “executed deliberate strikes on over 60 targets at 16 Iranian-backed Houthi militant locations, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defence radar systems.”
More than 100 precision-guided munitions including Tomahawk missiles launched from warships were used to hit Yemen’s capital Sanaa as well as Hudaydah, the Houthi Red Sea port stronghold, and other locations.
The US and UK said the aerial attacks were intended to disrupt and degrade the militants’ threat to global trade following weeks of drone and missile attacks on cargo ships in the region.
Who are the Houthi Rebels?
The Houthi rebels are terrorising vessels in the Red Sea and now their bases are being struck by the US and UK – but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Why are they attacking ships?
The rebel group has been launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
The sea assaults have threatened to ignite a full-blown war in the Middle East as ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza are felt across the region – with Iran suspected of stoking the chaos.
However, there have been frequent attacks on commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased 50 per cent between November and December.
Their slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
And the rebel group’s leaders have previously pledged the attacks will continue until Israel stops its devastating offensive inside Gaza.
On Thursday night, explosions rang out in Yemen and President Biden and PM Rishi Sunak struck over 60 Houthi targets.
The Ministry of Defence said four RAF Typhoon FGR4s, supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker used Paveway IV guided bombs to conduct precision strikes on two Houthi facilities.
One was a site at Bani in north-western Yemen, used to launch reconnaissance and attack drones, while the other location struck by the RAF was the airfield at Abbs.
It is understood F-35B Lightning stealth jets based at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, were involved while recon jets were spotted flying over Saudi Arabia last night.
British drones equipped with lethal Hellfire missiles were also primed.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The threat to innocent lives and global trade has become so great that this action was not only necessary, it was our duty to protect vessels and freedom of navigation.”
Houthi spokesman Nasr Aldeen Amer told Sky News his group would respond.
“A brutal aggression against our country, for which they [the attackers] will pay absolutely and without hesitation, and we will not back down from our position in supporting the Palestinian people, whatever the cost,” he said.
Strikes were carried out with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed.
Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and South Korea also assisted.
Joe Biden said military action was a “direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels“.
He added that it sent a “clear message” that the US and its partners will not tolerate attacks which have been crippling international shipping.
On Tuesday, British and US warships shot down a barrage of 18 drones and three cruise and anti-ship ballistic missiles fired towards the Red Sea in the Houthis largest attack so far.
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond blasted seven of the drones out of the sky and Defence Secretary Shapps says the warship was “deliberately targeted”.
The US and Britain had both warned that the group faced “consequences” for Tuesday’s attack.
General Michael Erik Kurilla, United States Central Command Commander, said: “We hold the Houthi militants and their destabilising Iranian sponsors responsible for the illegal, indiscriminate, and reckless attacks on international shipping that have impacted 55 nations so far, including endangering the lives of hundreds of mariners, including the United States.
“Their illegal and dangerous actions will not be tolerated, and they will be held accountable.”
The plans were finalised yesterday following meetings of the Prime Minister’s National Security Council and the emergency committee Cobra.
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Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron attended and other top UK politicians, including opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer, were briefed ahead of the military action.
Prior to the strikes, Layla Moran MP, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson said a vote on intervention was “vital”.
She warned: “It’s destabilising for regional security and has a detrimental impact on cost of living in the UK too as ships are diverted.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations security council called for an immediate end to Houthi rebels targeting ships in the Red Sea.
The resolution which was primarily backed by the US and Japan highlighted the right of UN members to defend their vessels from attack.
It effectively backed Operation Prosperity Guardian in response to the Houthi-led attacks.
Disruption instigated by the Houthi group could drive up prices in UK supermarkets as container ships are diverted around Africa adding ten days to journeys.
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s full statement
The Royal Air Force has carried out targeted strikes against military facilities used by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In recent months, the Houthi militia have carried out a series of dangerous and destabilising attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, threatening UK and other international ships, causing major disruption to a vital trade route and driving up commodity prices.
Their reckless actions are risking lives at sea and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships just this week.
This cannot stand. The United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade.
We have therefore taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence, alongside the United States with non-operational support from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain against targets tied to these attacks, to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.
The Royal Navy continues to patrol the Red Sea as part of the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian to deter further Houthi aggression, and we urge them to cease their attacks and take steps to de-escalate.
US President Joe Biden’s statement in full
Today, at my direction, US military forces – together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands – successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.
These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea – including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.
These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardised trade, and threatened freedom of navigation.
More than 50 nations have been affected in 27 attacks on international commercial shipping.
Crews from more than 20 countries have been threatened or taken hostage in acts of piracy.
More than 2,000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea – which can cause weeks of delays in product shipping times.
And on 9 January, Houthis launched their largest attack to date- directly targeting American ships.
The response of the international community to these reckless attacks has been united and resolute.
Last month, the United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian – a coalition of more than 20 nations committed to defending international shipping and deterring Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
We also joined more than 40 nations in condemning Houthi threats. Last week, together with 13 allies and partners, we issued an unequivocal warning that Houthi rebels would bear the consequences if their attacks did not cease.
And yesterday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution demanding the Houthis end attacks on merchant and commercial vessels.
Today’s defensive action follows this extensive diplomatic campaign and Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks against commercial vessels.
I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes.
