The United Kingdom “will not hesitate to respond again” to Houthi attacks, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned on Tuesday, after a second series of American-British strikes carried out overnight against the Yemeni rebels.
“We are not looking for a confrontation,” said the head of the British government in front of Parliament. “But if necessary, the UK will not hesitate to respond again in self-defence” to Houthi attacks, he said.
“We cannot stand idly by and let these attacks go unanswered.”
“We urge the Houthis and those who support them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks,” Rishi Sunak also said.
Yemeni Houthi rebels warned on Tuesday that they would respond to new US-British strikes carried out overnight against their positions in Yemen, against a backdrop of escalation linked to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist terrorist group Hamas.
Many shipowners now avoid these key areas for international trade.
Yemeni rebels are increasing attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
The American and British armies launched their first strike against the Houthis on January 12.
Rishi Sunak announced that the head of British diplomacy David Cameron would visit the Red Sea region “in the coming days”.
He also promised to put in place sanctions against the Houthis. “We will use the most effective means at our disposal to cut off the financial resources” of the rebels, he said. “We plan to announce new sanctions measures in the coming days,” in collaboration with the United States, the Prime Minister said.
This article is originally published on /fr.timesofisrael.com
