Yemen strikes latest: Houthis harming UK shopping, says Sunak in defence of bombing

The United States has no plans to add additional forces to the region after the US and British militaries conducted strikes on Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder has said.

Mr Ryder said defence secretary Lloyd Austin, who was hospitalised on 1 January to treat an infection, was in good condition, had spoken twice to president Joe Biden in the last two days and had been “actively engaged in overseeing and directing these strikes”.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Rishi Sunak has said the UK needs to send a “strong signal” that Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea are wrong and cannot be carried out with “impunity’”.

Speaking in Ukraine, the PM said he had backed “necessary, proportionate and targeted action”. The PM also said the Houthi rebel attacks on shipping was having a “damaging impact on people’s shopping” in the UK.

The Tory leader told broadcasters he would make a statement in parliament on Monday.

Mr Sunak said the Houthis attacks on ships in the Red Sea “were putting innocent lives at risk, it’s disrupting the global economy and it’s also destabilising the region … Now it’s clear that that type of behaviour can’t carry on.”

Sunak was pressed on what happens in the strikes on the Houthis do not succeed in deterring the attacks.

The Tory leader said: “We need to send a strong signal that this breach of international law is wrong. People can’t act like this with impunity and that’s why together with allies we’ve decided to take this action.”

Mr Sunak said Britain’s aim was to “de-escalate tensions and restore stability” to the region when asked about concerns over the possibility of wider escalation.

He added: “We have acted in self-defence. It’s incumbent now on the Houthis to stop carrying out these attacks, disrupting the global economy which has also had a damaging impact on people’s shopping … That’s not right.”

Jordan has said Israeli “war crimes” against Palestinians are to blame for heightened regional tension and violence in the Red Sea – which it said threatened to ignite a wider war in the Middle East.

Foreign minister Ayman Safadi also voiced support for South Africa’s “genocide” case against Israel at the UN’s top court over the war against Hamas in Gaza, and said Amman was ready to submit legal documents and appear in court if the case proceeds.

Israel has denied allegations that it has committed war crimes, and rejected as “grossly distorted” the accusations brought by South Africa that the military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide campaign against the Palestinian population.

But Mr Safadi said: “The Israeli aggression on Gaza and its continued committing of war crimes against the Palestinian people and violating international law with impunity are responsible for the rising tensions witnessed in the region.” Safadi said in remarks carried by state media.

“The international community is at a humanitarian, moral, legal and security crossroads,” he added. “Either it shoulders its responsibilities and ends Israel’s arrogant aggression and protect civilians, or allows Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist ministers to drag us to a regional war that threatens world peace.”

Houthi rebels must halt attacks in the Red Sea, the UK’s foreign secretary said.

Lord Cameron said the safety of UK vessels was “paramount” and urged the Yemeni rebel group to stop missile attacks on commercial ships.

“The UK and US have carried out targeted strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen,” he said on X.

“The safety of UK vessels and the freedom of navigation across the Red Sea is paramount and that is why we are taking action.

“As the UNSC has made clear, the Houthis must halt attacks in the Red Sea.”

As he faces questions at home about consulting parliament over the strikes on Yemen, Rishi Sunak will hold a joint press conference with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at lunchtime.

The PM is also expected to make a speech early this afternoon during his surprise visit to the country, our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports.

Mr Sunak has announced an extra £2.5bn in military aid for the country in its fight against Russia.

The Tory leader posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, saying he was there to deliver a message: “Our support cannot and will not falter. To all Ukrainians, Britain is with you – for as long as it takes.”

Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson has told reporters there are no plans for a parliamentary vote to retrospectively approve strikes on Yemen.

The government has published a summary of its legal position following the military strikes on Houthi targets.

It states: “Military intervention to strike carefully identified targets in order to effectively downgrade the Houthi’s capabilities and deter further attacks was lawfully taken.

“It was necessary and proportionate to respond to attacks by the Houthis and this was the only feasible means available to deal with such attacks.”

It continues: “The UK is permitted under international law to use force in such circumstances where acting in self-defence is the only feasible means to deal with an actual or imminent armed attack and where the force used is necessary and proportionate.

“The government will notify the United Nations Security Council of the actions it has taken under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.”

There is “certainly a risk of wider conflict in the region” after the US-UK strikes in Yemen, with many among the “tinderbox” of nations and groups involved believing the stakes “are becoming existential”, a foreign policy expert has said.

Sophia Gaston, head of foreign policy at the Policy Exchange think tank, said this is partly because there are so many proxies for different states, such as the Houthis and Hezbollah for Iran.

“The existence of so many nations with both direct national interests and also higher interests in pursuing different goals and outcomes necessarily makes this a kind of tinderbox.

“And I think there are a lot of these players who believe that the stakes at the moment are becoming existential. So I think that always is a recipe for a higher risk of conflict.”

But, she said, since Hamas’ sattack on Israel on 7 October unleashed the Gaza conflict, many nations have sought to “hold their nerve”.

“What’s interesting in this situation is that while things feel more febrile than ever, and the risks are considerable, we have also seen many of the parties involved in the region taking a decision that further escalation is not in their interest.”

Across the Atlantic, US president Joe Biden is also facing criticism over his failure to seek the backing of Congress for the strikes launched by Britain and the United States last night.

Mr Biden’s fellow Democrats Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Jason Crow, Barbara Lee, Mark Pocan and Val Hoyle have voiced objections to the president’s alleged failure to honour his constitutional obligations to brief the House and Senate before he took action.

“This is an unacceptable violation of the Constitution,” said Ms Jayapal. “Article I requires that military action be authorised by Congress.”

While this is correct, Article II of the Constitution also empowers the president, as commander-in-chief, to direct the use of military force to protect the nation from an attack or threat of imminent attack and to protect important national interests.

Joe Sommerlad has the report: