A British government source said Sunday the United Kingdom will partake in the US-led military campaign against the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group in Yemen, a move aimed at preventing the Houthis from attacking the shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
The British Sunday Times newspaper quoted the government official as saying that the UK, the U.S. and perhaps another European country will soon launch coordinated airstrikes on targets at sea and Yemen, where the Houthis are based.
The strikes will be "limited" but "significant," according to the source, and the attack could be implemented using RAF warplanes or HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer.
Over the past two months, the Houthi group has fired multiple drones and missiles, targeting ships in the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The group has said Israeli-linked ships and vessels bound for Israel are "legitimate targets".
Yesterday, the U.S. forces clashed with the Houthi fighters for the first time in the Red Sea. Airstrikes from an American helicopter hit three boats boarding Houthi fighters, killing ten of them. The crewmen on the boats attempted to seize the Maersk container vessel, according to a statement by the U.S. Central Command.
Houthi spokesperson Yahia Sarea confirmed the death of ten Houthi fighters. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, said in a video statement that his Iran-backed forces have been acting in support of Palestinians and carrying out their "religious, moral and humanitarian duty" in support of Gaza. He called on other countries not to "get involved in the dangerous American behavior," stressing that they will face consequences if they choose to do so.
Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the group's Supreme Political Office in Sanaa, said yesterday any warship that targets Yemen will be a legitimate target, and the commercial ships of the countries that attack Yemen will also be targeted.
As the escalation in the Red Sea keeps intensifying, the Iran-Houthi coordination is increasing. Yesterday, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Akbar Ahmadian and Spokesman of the Houthi group met in Tehran to discuss the "issues of mutual interest," reported Iranian media.
On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a call with the Iranian foreign minister that Iran shared responsibility for preventing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. However, Iran has repeatedly said the Houthi group is acting independently.
On December 18, sources told Sheba Intelligence that international discussions on maritime security in the Red Sea ended in two agreed-upon measures. The first measure is launching a military strike against the Houthi group over its attacks on cargo ships, and the second is forming an international coalition to protect international shipping lanes.
The sources indicated that the strikes will likely target Houthi military commanders, missile and drone launching centers, weapons depots, and training camps in Sanaa, Kamaran Island, Al-Luhaya and Al-Salif of Al-Hudaydah.