Houthi strikes: Drone and missile launch sites destroyed, Rishi Sunak tells MPs
Drone and ballistic missile launch sites were destroyed in “carefully targeted” strikes against the Houthi rebels by Britain and the US in Yemen last week, Rishi Sunak has told MPs.
The Prime Minister said 13 targets had been destroyed and there was no evidence as of yet of civilian casualties “which we took great care to avoid,” he added.
Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Sunak said the Houthis – an Iran-backed militia group in Yemen who are disrupting shipping in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Gaza conflict – had launched 25 “illegal and unacceptable” attacks since November 16.
Making his statement in Parliament to update MPs on the “limited” military action taken on Thursday night, the Prime Minister said the Houthis launched a major attack on January 9.
“They fired on our ships and our sailors. It was the biggest attack on the Royal Navy for decades and so we acted,” he said.
Strikes were intended to reduce the Houthis ability to launch further attacks by damaging their weapons capability, while the operation was “limited, not escalatory”.
The Prime Minister added that it was not possible to consult MPs beforehand given the need for maximum security around the action.
“It was a necessary and a proportionate response to a direct threat to the UK vessels, therefore to the UK itself,” Sunak added.
“The Houthis’ attacks on international shipping have put innocent lives at risk. They have held one crew hostage for almost two months. And they are causing growing economic disruption.”
Echoing foreign secretary Lord David Cameron’s comments this weekend, the Prime Minister vowed that the UK was prepared to “back our words with actions”.
But he also stressed the Houthis were given “clear and unambiguous warning” and insisted the UK-US air strikes were “completely unrelated” to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he reiterated that “Labour backs this targeted action to reinforce maritime security in the Red Sea”.
He said his party “strongly condemns” the Houthi attacks which he said were “targeting commercial ships of all nationalities, putting civilians and military personnel in serious danger – including British forces”.
Starmer added: “If left unaddressed [the attacks] could lead to a devastating rise in the cost of essential food in some of the poorest countries.”