UK warns it’s ready to launch AIRSTRIKES on Iran-backed Houthi ‘terrorists’ alongside US after Red Sea ship attacks
BRITAIN looks to be gearing up to launch airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi group who have been wreaking havoc in the Red Sea.
After weeks of ambushes and attacks in waters off the coast of Yemen, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said the UK is ready to fight back.
In what would be an unprecedented move by Britain, tensions in the regions are likely to spiral further as the West looks to join its allies against the group.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps wrote in that the UK is "willing to take direct action" against Houthi threats in the Red Sea.
He says: “As HMS Diamond illustrated earlier in the month, we are willing to take direct action, and we won’t hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
“The Houthis should be under no misunderstanding: We are committed to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks.”
A government source previously told that the UK could unleash RAF warplanes or Royal Navy warship HMS Diamond - a missile destroyer.
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When HMS Diamond took out the Sea Viper missile last month it was the first time the Royal Navy had unleashed air defence weapons in anger for more than 30 years.
Now the fresh and unprecedented response could be the first step in a much larger retaliation amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
The UK, under such plans, would join with America and potentially another European country to launch missile attacks against targets either in the Red Sea, or Yemen itself.
Talks on Sunday evening suggest at least two other countries may rally with them.
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Both Britain and the US are expected to release a statement within hours warning the Houthis to stop their relentless attacks - or face the allied countries wrath.
The Westminster source described this statement as a "last warning" and said the response if attacks don't stop would be "significant".
They didn't confirm which type of aircraft Britain could use - but RAF Typhoon jets are currently stationed at bases in Cyprus for missions in Iraq and Syria.
Apparently there to monitor any leftover threat from terror group ISIS, that they are now being used to spy on Iran-backed terror proxies in Lebanon.
Defence chiefs on Saturday held talks over a possible armed response on Houthi militias using sites in Yemen.
And Defence Secretary Grant Shapps later issued a formidable warning to the Iran-backed rebels.
He said: "Those terrorists who are disrupting trade in the Red Sea are drinking in the last chance saloon.
“Attacks on commercial shipping with drones and missiles is an attack on all of us and the culture and freedoms we cherish.
“There is no justification for targeting civilian shipping in this way. We need an immediate end to these illegal attacks.
“If the Houthis continue to threaten lives and trade, we will be forced to take the necessary and appropriate action.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “The situation in the Red Sea is incredibly serious, and the Houthi attacks are unacceptable and destabilising.
"As you would expect, while planning is underway for a range of scenarios, no decisions have yet been made and we continue to pursue all diplomatic routes.
“We call for the Iranian-backed Houthi to cease these illegal attacks and we are working with allies and partners to protect freedom of navigation."
The Houthi group began their brutal targeting of vessels after war broke out between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
They backed the terrorists and have used missiles, hijackings and harassment against ships they believe have links to Israel.
Sources said eight of the 20 ships attacked in the 30 days before Christmas were either UK- registered, had Brits in their crew or carried goods for the UK.
Major shipping firms such as BP and Maersk are also diverting vessels away from the Red Sea amid concerns the crisis will drive up the price of goods and inflation.
The US previously vowed to launch missile attacks against the rebel group after they swore to continue the relentless attacks on cargo ships.
President Joe Biden even ordered the formidable USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier to the Gulf of Aden near the Bab al-Mandab strait.
And on Sunday US Navy helicopters sunk three Houthi boats attacking a cargo ship.
It was the first clash between them which resulted in casualties - as a Houthi spokesperson later claimed ten had been killed.
Wallace told The Sun today that the clash marks a major turning point in the crisis, and that self defence won't be enough to stop them.
A Maersk container vessel sent out distress calls early on Sunday that the Houthis were firing at the ship.
Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely then unleashed fire on the Houthi boats "in self-defence".
All militants onboard the three sunken ships were killed, while a fourth boat fled.
Maersk stated their crew is now "safe" and that the boat had continued its journey to Port Suez.
However, the shipping company - one of the world's largest - has paused its sailings through the Red Sea for 48 hours.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree later said ten members of the rebel group had been killed by the US.
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Saree also vowed that the US would "bear the consequences" of the attack.
The group also vowed that any other countries who threaten them, like America, could face "negative repercussions".
