We’ll keep striking until attacks stop
Militants warn they will respond to US & UK raids
MINISTERS have warned that airstrikes in Yemen will continue if attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea do not stop.
Britain and the US struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday night to weaken the Iran-backed fighters.
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said: “We have issued repeated warnings to the Houthis.
“Their reckless actions are putting innocent lives at risk, threatening the freedom of navigation and destabilising the region. The Houthi attacks must stop.” Despite the Red Sea crisis deepening, the Government insisted the latest RAF strikes, the third in all, are not an escalation.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Houthis “will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks”.
But the militants, who say they are hitting commercial ships in solidarity with Palestine, are refusing to yield.
A Houthi military spokesman said: “These attacks will not discourage Yemeni forces... from maintaining their support for Palestinians in the face of the Zionist occupation and crimes.
“The aggressors’ air strikes won’t go unanswered.”
The Houthis have been striking shipping since November in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza following Hamas’ terror attack the previous month.
Lord Cameron has also issued a stern warning to Iran, which is also accused of backing other militant groups.
Addressing Iranian leaders, he said: “You created them, you backed them, you financed them, you provided them with weapons and you will ultimately be held accountable for what they do.”
One of the groups linked to Iran killed three US troops – 46-year-old Sgt William Rivers, Specialist Kennedy Sanders, 24, and 23-yearold Specialist Breonna Moffett – in a drone attack on a military outpost in Jordan just over a week ago.
US President Joe Biden waited to retaliate until Friday when America carried out strikes in Iraq and Syria targeting pro-iranian fighters.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at the weekend: “We intend to take additional strikes, and additional action, to continue to send a clear message that the United States will respond when our forces are attacked, when our people are killed.
“What happened on Friday was the beginning, not the end, of our response, and there will be more steps – some seen, some perhaps unseen.”
He added: “I would not describe it as an openended military campaign.”
Iraq issued a furious response to the US attacks on its territory, saying the “aggressive” action will put security in the region “on the brink of the abyss”. Iran has also issued a threat, saying the US could spark “future international risks” if it hits two suspected spy ships thought to be operating bases for commandos.
The UK faces pressure to strengthen its armed forces after experts concluded it is not ready for war.
The cross-party Commons Defence Committee has said the military is “consistently overstretched”, with little time for training in warfighting.
The report added: “The Government risks being unable to build true warfighting and strategic readiness because of the sheer pace of operations, which could threaten the security of the UK.”
We are intending to take additional strikes
JAKE SULLIVAN ON WHAT U.S IS PLANNING