London:
US and British airstrikes carried out early Friday on Houthi targets in Yemen following recent attacks on shipping in the Red Sea were “necessary and proportionate”, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
“Despite repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea,” Sunak said in a statement, using an alternative spelling for the Houthis.
“We have therefore, together with the United States, taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense… to degrade the Houthis' military capabilities and protect global shipping,” he said.
Sunak's statement followed comments from US President Joe Biden on attacks on the Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen.
The Houthis have in recent weeks stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial waterway through which 12 percent of world trade flows.
The Houthi television channel Al-Massirah said the airstrikes hit the capital Sanaa as well as the cities of Hodeida and Saada.
US and British forces this week shot down 18 drones and three missiles fired by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, in what Washington called a “complex, Iranian-designed” attack.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on Twitter that four Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets had taken part in attacks on Houthi targets along with US forces on Friday.
Sunak described the Houthi actions as “irresponsible” and “destabilizing” and said their attacks were “driving up commodity prices”.
“The UK will always defend freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)