UK and US launch military strikes on Houthi rebels to stop Red Sea attacks

The UK and US have launched air strikes on targets linked to Houthi rebels based in Yemen in a bid to stop attacks on ships travelling through the Red Sea, it has been reported.

Four US officials told the Reuters news agency that strikes by Britain and the US had begun against the Iran-backed group.

Explosions were reported to have been heard in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. US officials told the Associated Press the military strikes were targeting more than a dozen sites used by the rebels, including logistical hubs, air defence systems and storage locations.

A senior Houthi member, Abdulsalam Jahaf, was quoted by Sky News as saying: “Now America, Britain and Israel are launching raids on Hodeidah and Sanaa.”

Earlier he said the group will “burn American battleships and bases”, and that action by Washington or London would not distract them from their aims.

Abdel Malek al-Houthi, the group’s supreme leader, gave an hour long speech on Thursday in which he said: “The response to any American attack will not only be at the level of the operation that was recently carried out with more than 24 drones and several missiles. It will be greater than that.”

Low-tech drone attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis have disrupted shipping routes and caused billions of pounds in damage to the world economy.

On Thursday night Britain joined the US in missile strikes on the rebels, designed to dissuade them from continuing their campaign of violence in the region.

The mission was signed off by an emergency meeting of the Cabinet, summoned by Rishi Sunak for a conference call at short notice.

It comes after Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned retaliation was being considered after weeks of attacks. Some have warned that ramping up military action risks further escalation in the Middle East at a time of high tensions due to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza.

On Tuesday, UK and US warships patrolling the vital waterway of the Red Sea repelled a barrage of drones and missiles.

The attacks on ships by the Houthis are in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with the rebels claiming they were targeting ships associated with allies of Israel.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Wednesday demanding an immediate end to the Houthi attacks and there is global concern about the impact they are having on shipping routes.