Fresh missile attack reported after UK and US airstrikes on Houthi targets

A fresh missile attack against a vessel has been reported after Houthi rebels warned that British interests are “legitimate targets” following the RAF and the US unleashing airstrikes in Yemen.

Overnight, the UK and US bombed military facilities used by the Iran-backed group in response to the militants’ attacks on container ships in the Red Sea.

The Hamas-backing Houthis claim they are targeting vessels linked to Israel in one of the world’s busiest shipping routes over the war in Gaza.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted Britain and the US acted “in self-defence” and that allies would not hesitate to ensure the safety of commercial shipping.

But experts warned the strikes raised the risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

The Houthis’ Supreme Political Council threatened in a statement that “all American-British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni armed forces”.

They called the airstrikes a “direct and declared aggression against the Republic of Yemen” and labelled the UK and the US “aggressors”.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations received a report of a missile attack 90 miles off the coast of Aden, Yemen, on Friday afternoon.

The Royal Navy initiative that provides information on security incidents to shipping operators said the missile landed between 400-500 metres away from the ship.

Followed by three craft, it was unclear what nationality the ship was flagged with. No injuries or damage was reported, as vessels were advised to “transit with caution”.

Mr Sunak said there has been a significant increase in the number of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea which put lives at risk, disrupted the global economy and destabilised the region.

Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to Ukraine, he said: “Now it’s clear that that type of behaviour can’t carry on. That’s why we joined with allies in issuing very public condemnation of this behaviour.

“And it’s why I made the decision with allies to take what I believe to be necessary, proportionate and targeted action against military targets to degrade and disrupt Houthi capability. We won’t hesitate to protect lives and ensure the safety of commercial shipping.

“We need to send a strong signal that this breach of international law is wrong. People can’t act like this with impunity and that’s why together with allies we’ve decided to take this action.”

The Prime Minister insisted the aim was to “de-escalate tensions and restore stability to the region”, with allies having acted when calls for the Houthis to desist were disregarded.

He said: “We have acted in self-defence. It’s incumbent now on the Houthis to stop carrying out these attacks.”

Mr Sunak will make a statement to MPs on Monday about the strikes amid calls for greater consultation in Parliament.

He played down concerns that MPs should have been consulted before the military action, saying he chaired Cobra and Cabinet meetings on Thursday and briefed Sir Keir Starmer and shadow defence secretary John Healey.

Experts warned of an inflammatory impact of the strikes, with Sophia Gaston, the head of foreign policy at the think tank Policy Exchange, arguing there is “certainly a risk of wider conflict in the region”.

She told the PA news agency: “Should the Houthis scale up their attacks in the aftermath of these strikes, I think we are going to get fairly quickly to a position where the Western powers could be pushed into areas that they’re not going to feel very comfortable with.

“We are moving into a much riskier terrain because the United States and the United Kingdom certainly do not want to be in a situation where we are required to engage beyond a limited targeted strike capacity and certainly not one that may invite the participation of other regional powers.”

But Dr Tobias Borck, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) think tank, told PA the threat of a wider regional war that has existed since Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel has not changed in light of the strikes.

“However, escalation can happen as a result of accidents and miscalculation, or as a simple compounding of risk, a normalisation of an extremely high level of violence,” he said.

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the strikes sent a message not just to the Houthis, but to Iran as well.

“I think it was proportionate, it was legal, it was absolutely right to do. And I think it sends a very clear message to the Houthis, but also to Iran as well,” he told NBC in an interview.

The UK Government will get assessments of the impact of the action later on Friday, Lord Cameron said.

Sir Keir said Labour was “fully supportive” of the airstrikes.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said his party was “minded” to support the military action, but argued there is a “principle” of parliamentary consultation before such interventions.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he was “happy to facilitate” a recall of Parliament “at any time”, but requests by the Government to do so are rare.

Downing Street said that the strikes against the Houthis may not immediately make the Red Sea safer for commercial shipping, but in the “longer term” would have a “positive effect”.

The Government published a summary of its legal position following the strikes, saying military intervention “was lawfully taken” and “this was the only feasible means available to deal with such attacks”.

The strikes on Thursday night were the first to be launched against the militants since they started targeting vessels in the key international trade route, through which some 15% of the world’s shipping passes.

Four Royal Air Force jets struck two Houthi facilities involved in their targeting of HMS Diamond and US Navy vessels on Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence said.

One was a site at Bani and the other the Abbs airfield, used to launch drones and cruise missiles.

The US Air Force said it struck more than 60 targets at 16 sites in Yemen, including logistical hubs, air defence systems and munitions depots.

They received non-operational support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.

The Houthis said the US-led operation resulted in at least five deaths and six injuries.