ReutersUS and French naval vessels on their way to the Red Sea in November last year
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 22:27
British media speculate that the Americans and British will soon launch an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen. These have been endangering shipping traffic on the important route through the Red Sea for weeks. Ships that have to pass through Yemen there have been being shot at with missiles and drones for weeks.
Prime Minister Sunak informed his cabinet this evening about “possible British and American attacks” on Houthi rebels, the BBC writes. Earlier today there were consultations with the British Security Council. According to Sky News, the cabinet will also inform opposition leader Starmer about this important decision.
Sunak is said to have met with President Sisi of Egypt, a key player in the region, earlier today. The Prime Minister has told Sisi he will take action to defend free passage at sea and protect people on ships, Sunak’s office said.
Houthis response
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said earlier today that the Houthis will respond to an attack. The response will be more powerful than the attack with dozens of drones and missiles that the Houthis launched on Wednesday. “We remain committed to attacking ships with links to Israel and we will not deviate from that.”
The Houthis say they are on the side of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas. They say they attack Israeli ships and ships sailing to or from Israel. Recently, however, ships that have a less clear link with Israel have also been attacked more and more often.
NOSThe Red Sea runs from the Suez Canal to Bab el Mandeb
The UN Security Council last night demanded that the Yemeni rebel group immediately stop their attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Eleven members voted in favor of the resolution and four countries, including Russia and China, abstained.
A US-led coalition patrols the Red Sea to prevent attacks. The Netherlands is participating in this operation (Prosperity Guardian) with two staff officers.
2024-01-11 21:27:56
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