Rishi Sunak has said the UK will not hesitate to launch further air strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen if attacks on ships in the Red Sea continue.
The prime minister issued the warning to the group hours after Royal Air Force jets took part in a second wave of joint US-UK action against them on Monday night.
Mr Sunak told MPs: “We are not seeking a confrontation. We urge the Houthis and those who enable them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks.
“But, if necessary, the United Kingdom will not hesitate to respond again in self-defence. We cannot stand by and allow these attacks to go unchallenged. Inaction is also a choice.”
He also rejected Houthi claims their attacks have been prompted by the war in Gaza. The PM said there was “no link between our actions of self-defence in the Red Sea and the situation in Israel and Gaza”.
Rishi Sunak making a statement to MPs in the House of Commons (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA)
(PA Wire)
He added: “Those who make that link do the Houthis’ work for them. I want to be clear that those here at home who glorify the Houthis’ attacks are glorifying terrorism, plain and simple. They will be met with a zero tolerance approach.”
In response, the Houthis warned this latest strike “will not go unanswered or unpunished”.
Earlier David Cameron vowed Britain will continue striking the rebels in order to “degrade their capability” to attack cargo ships in the region.
The foreign secretary said the latest strikes against the Iranian-backed group show Britain “backs our words and warnings with action”.
Lord Cameron said that since the last UK-US action 10 days ago, there had been more than 12 attacks on shipping by the Houthis in the Red Sea.
Lord Cameron said Britain ‘backs up our words and warnings with action’
(PA Wire)
“These attacks are illegal, unacceptable and what we’ve done again is send the clearest possible message that we will continue to degrade their ability to carry out these attacks – while sending the clearest possible message that we back our words and our warnings with action.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer gave his support, saying “we back this targeted action”, but again called on ministers to again release their legal justification for the action.
He also said he “totally” rejected the idea that the Houthi attacks were linked to situation Gaza, as Mr Sunak faced calls from left-wing Labour MPs, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, for the UK to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Sir Keir Starmer was not told in advance of the latest round strikes, despite being informed when a similar decision was taken earlier this month.
Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said the government’s preference was to inform the opposition leader, adding “that wasn’t a possibility in this instance.”
Officials say the joint operation by British and American warplanes took out Houthi missile storage sites and launchers.
Monday’s strikes were significantly smaller in scale than the first joint operation, which hit as many as 60 different targets spanning the length and breadth of Houthi-controlled Yemen.
The Ministry of Defence said fresh strikes were carried out against Houthi targets (Sgt Lee Goddard/MOD/Crown Copyright)
(PA Media)
Despite those strikes, the Houthis havecontinued to target ships along the vital Red Sea and Gulf of Aden trade routes. The Houthis initially said they were targeting vessels linked to Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians suffering in Gaza, and have since expanded their missile attacks to include British and American ships.
In a joint statement, the governments of the US, UK, Bahrain, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands said the “precision strikes” were “intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners”.
