BRITISH PRIME MINISTER Rishi Sunak has said the UK and US intend to impose new sanctions in response to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Sunak warned the Yemen-based military group that the UK plans to continue to launch strikes if attacks on ships in the Red Sea continue.
The Houthis, who control significant parts of Yemen along the coast of the Red Sea, have been targeting cargo ships en route to Israel in retaliation against Israel’s attacks on Gaza, where more than 25,000 people have been killed since October.
Royal Air Force jets struck two military sites last night north of Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, that the UK said covered multiple specific targets used by the Houthis to support their attacks on shipping.
Sunak addressed the House of Commons in Westminster this afternoon about the Israel-Hamas war and the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
He said that the UK government is not “seeking a confrontation” but “if necessary, will not hesitate to respond again in self-defence” to the Houthis.
“At my order overnight, the RAF engaged in a second wave of strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
“We did so because we continue to see, including in intelligence, an ongoing and imminent threat from the Houthis to UK commercial and military vessels, and to those of our partners in the Red Sea and wider region.”
Sunak said new sanctions would be announced “in the coming days” in response to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, adding: “We must end the illegal flow of arms to the Houthi militia.”
The British government’s plans include “working closely with our allies and partners to disrupt and deter the supply of weapons and components”.
“We are going to use the most effective means at our disposal to cut off the Houthis’ financial resources where they are used to fund these attacks,” Sunak said.
Jeremy Quin, Conservative chairman of the Defence Select Committee, asked Sunak whether he believes that the UK may need to conduct a “prolonged and persistent, targeted campaign” against the Houthis.
In response, Sunak said: “I just want to be absolutely clear that no decision has been taken to embark on a sustained campaign of the nature that he mentioned. These were limited strikes specifically in response to threats we have perceived.
“But we do reserve the right to take action in self-defence, as I have said. But crucially the military action is just one part of a broader strategy, diplomatic, sanctions and others. We will use all levers to bring about an end to the disruption and the illegality the Houthis are causing.”
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn called on government ministers to reveal their “ultimate strategy” for dealing with conflict in the Middle East, saying MPs “need to be mindful of the opponent that we face in this regard”
“The Houthis have been under almost constant bombardment from Saudi Arabia for the best part of eight years. They didn’t get that message, so why are we so confident that they will get our message this time around?” Flynn said.
Sunak insisted that strikes carried out last week and again last night were effective in “degrading capability and all the intended targets were destroyed”.
Labour MP Apsana Begum criticised the decision to strike Yemen, saying that “further violence will not achieve peace” and that “aid agencies are warning that the UK-US continuing to bomb Yemen is threatening civilian populations and limiting humanitarian assistance from reaching millions who are already enduring starvation”.
“Instead of escalating risks to civilian populations in the region, why can’t the Prime Minister just support the growing and increasing calls internationally for an immediate ceasefire in Israel-Gaza, an end to the bloodshed with Gaza, an end to the attacks on Yemen, and call for peace, justice and human rights?” Begum asked.
Sunak in response said that the situations in the Red Sea and Gaza “are two completely different things” and claimed “our NGO partners have confirmed no significant disruption to humanitarian efforts following our air strikes”.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron is set travel to the region “in the coming days” in a bid to increase diplomatic engagement.
MPs are set to have a full debate on the UK’s approach to the Red Sea tomorrow.
Additional reporting by Press Association
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