The UK gave the Huthis “warning after warning” about their actions in the Red Sea before it carried out airstrikes on Yemen alongside the US earlier this week, the UK’s Foreign Secretary said on Sunday.
The Foreign Secretary said that taking military action in response to the Huthis’ targeting of commercial vessels in the Red Sea was a “last resort,” and that the responsibility of the escalation lies with the Huthis.
“Since the 19th of November, you’ve had these 26 attacks [on vessels by the Huthis]. There have been more of them. They’ve been getting worse. And, you know, not acting is also a policy and it’s a policy that doesn’t work,” Cameron stressed.
“The [US and UK] strikes themselves were limited, proportionate, targeted, [and] legal, but they were also necessary,” he added.
Remember: The US and UK militaries launched strikes against Huthi targets in Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen, marking a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned that the Iran-backed militant group would bear the consequences of its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
US President Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes “in direct response to unprecedented Huthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea.”
