UK ready to strike Houthis again if Red Sea attacks continue, says David Cameron
13 January 2024, 23:07 | Updated: 14 January 2024, 00:08
Foreign Secretary David Cameron has issued a warning after London protesters chanted "Yemen make us proud".
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Britain is prepared to carry out more strikes on Houthi targets as commercial and military vessels continue to come under attack in the Red Sea, Lord Cameron stated in The Telegraph.
Writing for the newspaper, Lord Cameron said that if the Houthis, who control much of Yemen, are allowed to "deny passage to ships", supply chains will be threatened and that prices will go up for not only Britain, but "across the globe".
The Foreign Secretary said the strikes, carried out by the US and UK "will have gone some way to degrade Houthi capabilities built up with Iranian backing".
However, he added that the UK’s position is "unambiguous" and that "we will always defend the freedom of navigation. And, crucially, we will be prepared to back words with actions".
His comments seemingly suggest that Britain should join forces with the US in carrying out more strikes if the Houthis continue launching missile and drone attacks on shipping vessels.
The Foreign Secretary’s comments are similar to US President Joe Biden’s who said: "We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behaviour, along with our allies."
On Friday night, US forces carried out a strike on a Houthi radar site in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen.
Since, the Houthi rebels have warned that US and UK strikes in Yemen will not stop attacks in the Red Sea, after more targets were hit by the American military on Friday evening.
The US claimed more vessels in the Red Sea were being targeted, prompting "follow-on action" early on Saturday by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.
The strikes came after joint action by the UK and US, which led to 28 locations in Yemen being hit, striking more than 60 targets.
The United States said further strikes were necessary due to a radar site 'still presenting a threat to maritime traffic', according to one official.
But the Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, have warned they will not be deterred from attacking more rebels in the Red Sea.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, a top Houthi rebel, said there had been “no injuries, no material nor human losses” following the US attack.
He also vowed a "strong, effective" response.
Meanwhile on Saturday, some protesters at the pro-Palestinian march in London chanted is support of the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping.
Read more: Nine arrested after pro-Palestine protest in London - as 1,700 officers patrolled the capital
Demonstrators were heard shouting: "Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around", in what seemed like celebration of the actions of the Iran-backed rebel group.
Some waved banners with words of support for the attacks, with one reading: "UK + US wants war. Yemen supports Palestine. Gaza wants to live."
In reponse to the images, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat was shocked at people "supporting groups like the Houthis, who have reintroduced slavery and systematically violate the rights of women and girls."
On Friday, the US Navy warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the US and Britain launched multiple air strikes targeting Houthi rebels.
Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, have already warned of "severe retaliation" for the strikes, vowing to make the West pay for their "aggression".
The US President Joe Biden has insisted the strikes were necessary and "successful", as he vowed more strikes would take place if needed.
Read More: How Yemeni Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea are hurting global trade
Mr Biden told reporters in Pennsylvania: "We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behaviour along with our allies."
Asked if he believes the Houthis are a terrorist group, Mr Biden responded: "I think they are."
The president, in a later exchange with reporters, said whether the Houthis are redesignated as such was "irrelevant".
Mr Biden also pushed back against some US politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, who said he should have sought congressional authorisation before carrying out the strikes.
"They're wrong, and I sent up this morning when the strikes occurred exactly what happened," he said.
The White House said in November that it was considering redesignating the Houthis as a terrorist organisation after they began their targeting of civilian vessels.
The administration formally delisted the Houthis as a "foreign terrorist organisation" and "specially designated global terrorists" in 2021, undoing a move by former president Donald Trump.
At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council late on Friday, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the US, UK, and allies of "blatant armed aggression" against Yemen and warned that "if the escalation continues, the entire Middle East could encounter a catastrophe".
US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield insisted the attacks were in self-defence.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield said: "So de-escalation needs to happen, it needs to happen from the Houthis who are putting all of our shipping lines in jeopardy."
Iran condemned Friday's attack in a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani, echoing UN concerns.
"Arbitrary attacks will have no result other than fuelling insecurity and instability in the region," he said.
