Britain is expected to join the United States in conducting air strikes on military positions belonging to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen “within hours”, the political editor for the Times newspaper reported on Thursday.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street office did not respond to a request for comment, while the US typically does not comment on potential future military operations.
“The Houthis need to stop these attacks … they will bear the consequences for any failure to do so,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday.
Sunak briefed his cabinet of ministers on the imminent military intervention earlier on Thursday, the Times report said.
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Yemen’s Houthi fighters behind Red Sea attacks threaten to disrupt global trade
Yemen’s Houthi fighters behind Red Sea attacks threaten to disrupt global trade
British media also reported that other political figures, including the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, as well as the speaker of the House of Commons, had been briefed by the government.
The leader of Yemen’s Houthis has threatened a “big” response to the US and its allies if they proceed with military action against his group.
“We’ll confront the American aggression,” Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday. “Any American attack won’t go unpunished.”
Al-Houthi said the scale of the response would surpass an attack carried out by the Iran-backed group on shipping lanes on Tuesday, which involved two dozen drones and a barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles. The assault was described by the US military as the largest to date.
UN Security Council demands immediate end to Houthi Red Sea attacks
UN Security Council demands immediate end to Houthi Red Sea attacks
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi militants have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza. Various shipping lines have suspended operations, instead taking the longer journey around Africa.
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Wednesday condemning the Houthi attacks, demanding they “immediately cease” these acts and release a cargo ship seized nearly two months ago. China and Russia abstained from the vote.
The US military said the Houthis earlier on Thursday had staged their 27th attack on shipping since November 19, firing an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis, who seized much of Yemen in a civil war, have vowed to attack ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports. However, many of the targeted ships have had no links to Israel.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg