The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced in a live broadcast in the House of Commons that the UK, along with its allies, intends to disrupt the channels of weapon supplies to the Yemeni Houthi rebels. “We must put an end to the illicit flow of arms to the Houthi insurgents… This involves close cooperation with allies and partners to disrupt and stop the deliveries of weapons and their components,” he stated.
Sunak also announced the introduction of new sanctions against the Yemeni rebels.
Prior to this, the United States and the United Kingdom had launched strikes on eight Houthi targets in Yemen.
Against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea since October 2023. Drones and rockets are being used for these purposes.
The Houthis claim that their targets are only ships entering Israeli ports or those owned by individuals connected to Israel. However, their actions have begun to disrupt international shipping.
Several companies have announced that they will no longer send their ships through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and is an important maritime route for the whole world.
On the night of January 12, 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom, with the support of the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and Bahrain, launched coordinated strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. US President Joe Biden called this move a direct response to Houthi attacks on foreign vessels.
Earlier, the Houthis had targeted a US Navy cargo ship.
