Eirian Jane Prosser – Daily Mail Dec 31, 2023

Britain is preparing to launch air strikes against Iran-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea if the rebels continue to fire at vessels in the region.

Under the plans, the UK will reportedly join forces with the US and another European country to unleash the strikes against targets based in the ocean or in Yemen, where the attacks are being coordinated from.

It comes as Foreign Secretary David Cameron warned Tehran that that it shares responsibility in preventing the attacks, after the US said its navy sank three Yemeni rebel’s boats which were targeting a container.

Four boats from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen fired at the Maersk Hangzhou and got within metres of the vessel as US helicopters fired back, the US military said, adding that several armed boat crews were killed. No one was injured on the ship.

A coordinated strike between the US and UK could see RAF warplanes used or HMS Diamond – a Type 45 air-defence guided missile destroyer which was previously used to attack a drone with a Sea Viper attached, a Whitehall Source told the Times.

It is expected that a statement between the two countries is expected to be released in the coming hours which will warn the Houthi rebels to stop attacking military vessels or the West.

Speaking ahead of the statement defence secretary Grand Shapps told the paper: ‘If the Houthis continue to threaten lives and trade, we will be forced to take the necessary and appropriate action.’

The source said it was the ‘last warning’ for the rebels to stop, warning that the response would ‘limited’ but significant’.

Ahead of the reported announcement, Lord Cameron said he had spoken to Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on New Year’s Eve about the attacks ‘which threaten innocent lives and the global economy’.

‘I made clear that Iran shares responsibility for preventing these attacks given their long-standing support to the Houthis,’ Lord Cameron said.

Mr Shapps meanwhile condemned what he described as an ‘outrageous’ bid to disrupt global trade.

‘This morning’s atrocious attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis were an unacceptable and outrageous act designed to destabilise global trade,’ he said in a post on the social media platform.

‘The Houthis must end their illegal campaign against merchant shipping and stop all violent attacks immediately.

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The Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou reported that it had already been hit by a missile on Saturday night while transiting the Southern Red Sea and requested assistance, Centcom said in a statement.

In another statement, Centcom said the same ship issued an additional distress call about a second attack ‘by four Iranian-backed Houthi small boats’.

The attackers fired small arms weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou, getting to within about 65ft (20m) of the vessel, and a contract-embarked security team on the ship returned fire, Centcom said.

US helicopters responded to the distress call and returned fire after the small boats crews opened fire on the helicopters using small arms, the statement said.

The helicopters sank three of the four boats, killing the crews, while the fourth boat fled the area, Centcom said.

No damage to US personnel or equipment was reported.

The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed attacks on ships in the Red Sea that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports.

They say their attacks aim to end Israel’s air and ground offensive targeting the Gaza Strip following the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7.

On Saturday, the top commander of US naval forces in the Middle East said Houthi rebels have shown no signs of ending their ‘reckless’ attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, even as more nations join the international maritime mission to protect vessels in the vital waterway and trade traffic begins to pick up.

A Royal Navy destroyer earlier this month joined international efforts to deter attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea.

HMS Diamond joined American and French warships in an US-led task force dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian.

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