UK considers attack on Houthis in Red Sea – DW – 01/01/2024

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

The UK's position comes as reports emerge that it is preparing for joint action to deliver an ultimatum to the British and North Americans. Yemen GroupAccording to the German news agency DPA.

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 committed to holding the perpetrators of illegal seizures and attacks accountable,” the official said.

The US Navy sank three ships belonging to Houthi rebels of Yemen 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, the Houthis have intensified their attacks in the Red Sea against ships they consider “linked to Israel,” following a bloody attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli territory on October 7. 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 US 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 traffic from Houthi attacks.