Rishi Sunak: Strikes on Houthis intended as 'limited, single action'

Joint US-UK strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen were intended as a "limited, single action", Rishi Sunak has said.

Following reports of more attacks by the rebel group on ships in the Red Sea on Monday, the prime minister refused to speculate whether he would take further military action in response.

But he said the UK "will not hesitate to protect our security, our people and our interests where required".

Labour said it backed the "targeted action".

However, leader Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons military action must be "underpinned by a clear strategy".

He added that the strikes still carried risks and "we must avoid escalation across the Middle East".

The Houthis - a military and political group who control the north of Yemen and its capital Sanaa - have been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea since November.

Last Thursday, the US and UK carried out air strikes on military Houthi targets in response.

Giving a Commons statement, Mr Sunak told MPs the government's "initial assessment" was that all 13 planned targets were destroyed, while there was no evidence of civilian casualties so far.

He said the "proportionate" action was taken "in self-defence" and was "limited, not escalatory".

His statement came shortly after American officials said the Houthis had hit a US-owned ship off the coast of Yemen with a missile.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations security agency also reported that missile fire had struck a ship near Yemen's southern port city of Aden.

Asked whether he would take more military action if necessary, Mr Sunak said: "I won't speculate on future action.

"This was intended as limited, single action and we hope the Houthis will now step back and end their destabilising attacks.

"But of course... we will not hesitate to protect our security, our people and our interests where required."

The Houthi attacks have led major shipping companies to divert vessels away from the Red Sea, instead taking a longer route around southern Africa.

Mr Sunak said this "pushes up prices, and imperils the passage of goods, foods and medicines that the British people and others rely on".

He added that there were also risks from not acting, which he said "would weaken international security and the rule of law, further damage freedom of navigation and the global economy, and send a dangerous message that British vessels and British interests are fair game".

The Houthis - who are allies of Iran - have said they are attacking ships affiliated with Israel in protest at the war in Gaza.

However, commercial vessels with no connection to the country also appear to have been targeted.

Mr Sunak said the UK-US strikes were "completely unrelated" to the Israel-Gaza conflict and were "a direct response to the Houthis' attacks on international shipping".

He added that the group were targeting ships from around the world and "we shouldn't fall for their malign narrative".

The Liberal Democrats, the SNP and Plaid Cymru had argued the government should hold a vote on the strikes.

The government is not legally required to seek parliamentary approval before taking military action. However, a convention has been established in recent years under which the Commons is - in most circumstances - given the opportunity to debate the deployment of military forces in advance.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn called on the PM to reveal his long-term strategy if the Houthi attacks continued, adding: "We cannot have an escalation which leads to further regional instability."

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said his party supported "limited" strikes against the Houthis but it was "regrettable" there was no vote on the action.

He urged Mr Sunak to ensure the strikes remained "limited", describing the region as "a tinderbox".

Defending the decision not to consult Parliament before the action, Mr Sunak said it was "necessary to strike at speed... to protect the security of these operations".

However, the prime minister added that he had addressed MPs on the issue "at the earliest opportunity".

The Houthis, who control most of the populated parts of Yemen, now have three options.

They can back down, having made their point, raised their regional profile and increased their popularity at home.

Their actions to date show no sign of them doing this.

They can continue to harass military and commercial shipping off their coasts, which they appear to be now doing.

Or - and this is the option the West should worry about - they could marshal their remaining missiles and drones and wait for the opportunity to launch a mass attack on a US or British warship, in the hopes of overwhelming its air defences. This is something the Houthi spokesman has already hinted at and it remains a real risk.

US intelligence assesses that the recent airstrikes on the Houthis' military facilities have destroyed or degraded around a quarter of their arsenal.

Further airstrikes will degrade that further so the Houthis will need to make some careful calculations as to how far they take this beyond their fiery rhetoric about retaliation.

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