“The UK will defend free trade and freedom of travel as the US and British military launch strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen,” said British Prime Minister Sunak. The Royal Navy is patrolling the Red Sea to deter Houthi aggression.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a written statement on the airstrikes targeting the Houthis in the Red Sea.
The Royal Air Force has carried out “targeted strikes” on military installations used by the Houthis in Yemen, Sunak said, noting that in recent months the Houthis have carried out a series of dangerous and destabilizing attacks against merchant shipping in the Red Sea, threatening UK and other international vessels, causing major disruption to vital trade routes and driving up commodity prices.
Describing these actions as “reckless”, Sunak said they put lives at risk at sea and worsen the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Defended “necessary and proportionate” action against linked targets
Prime Minister Sunak reminded that despite repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis continued to organize attacks on British and US warships in the Red Sea this week, and said
“This is unacceptable. The UK will always defend freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade. That is why we have taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense against targets linked to these attacks, with non-operational support from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain, along with the US, to weaken Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.
The Royal Navy continues to patrol the Red Sea as part of the multinational Operation Welfare Guard to deter Houthi aggression and we call on them to cease their attacks and take steps to de-escalate tensions.”
What happened in the Red Sea
Following the recent actions of the Houthis in Yemen against merchant ships in response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza, many shipping companies decided to suspend their services in the Red Sea.
On December 6, 2023, the Pentagon announced that they were negotiating the establishment of an international “Maritime Task Force” against the attacks of Houthi forces in Yemen against commercial ships in the Red Sea, and on December 18, the Pentagon announced the creation of a multinational mission called “Operation Welfare Guardian”.
While the Houthi attacks jeopardized passage through the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, offering the shortest route between Europe and Asia and through which about 12 percent of global trade is carried out, the attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the successive decisions taken by companies raised concerns that a new “supply chain crisis” would begin in the global economy.
