UK considers airstrikes to deter Houthis in Red Sea

British Defense Minister Grant Shabbs said his government would not hesitate to take “direct action” to prevent further attacks.

According to German news agency DPA, the United Kingdom's stance comes as reports emerged that the British and Americans were preparing for joint action to deliver an ultimatum to the Yemeni group.

Speaking to British newspaper 'The Telegraph', Shabbs said, “The United Kingdom will not hesitate to take further measures to prevent threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.”

“The Houthis must not be misunderstood — we are obliged to hold the wrongdoers responsible for illegal seizures and attacks,” the official said.

The US Navy has sunk three ships of Yemen's Houthi rebels that attacked a Danish container ship in the Red Sea.

Two sources in the Houthi-held Yemeni port of Hodeidah said the shelling killed ten Houthi rebels.

Since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, following a bloody attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli territory on October 7, the Houthis have intensified their attacks in the Red Sea against ships they consider “linked to Israel”. The Palestinian Territory was bombarded and besieged by the Israeli army.

Centcom reported that the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged container ship owned by Danish shipping company Maersk, was the victim of “the Houthis' 23rd attempted attack on international shipping since October 19”.

The United States is a key ally of Israel and, along with other countries, patrols the world's strategic Red Sea as part of an international coalition to protect maritime shipping from Houthi attacks.