Rishi Sunak won’t rule out more strikes on Yemen after Houthi rebels vow retaliation

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Rishi Sunak has not dominated out additional army motion in Yemen after Houthi rebels warned of reprisals for in a single day airstrikes and the chief of Turkey accused the UK and the US of attempting to create a “sea of blood”.

As international tensions escalated as a result of the bombing, the prime minister said Britain had sent a “strong signal” that the militants’ attacks in the Red Sea cannot be carried out with “impunity”.

Downing Street rejected the idea the UK was at war with the Iran-backed group and said the UK’s actions, targetting military facilities used by rebels, had been proportionate and carried out in self-defence.

But pressed on what happens if the air strikes fail to deter attacks, Mr Sunak said ministers would monitor the situation, adding: “It’s clear that this type of behaviour can’t be met without a response. 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.”

President Biden has also said he will not hesitate to take further action if necessary.

Houthi rebels said the strikes killed at least five people and wounded six, and would “not go unanswered and unpunished”.

As considerations over tensions within the Middle East grew, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated the UK and the US are attempting to show the Red Sea right into a “sea of blood”.

Huge explosions had been seen in Yemeni cities, together with Sanaa and Hodeidah, within the early hours of Friday. The US army stated 60 strikes had been launched at 16 websites linked to the Houthis’ army operations.

The Ministry of Defence stated 4 Royal Air Force jets struck two Houthi services concerned of their concentrating on of HMS Diamond and US Navy vessels on Tuesday.

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

The Houthis on Friday stated the US-led operation resulted in at the least 5 deaths and 6 accidents.

A army spokesperson for the group warned the strikes is not going to go unpunished and won’t deter the militia from supporting Hamas by concentrating on ships related to Israel.

Sophia Gaston, head of international coverage on the assume tank Policy Exchange, stated: “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.”

She added that the existence of so many proxies for various states, such because the Houthis and Hezbollah for Iran, “necessarily makes this a kind of tinderbox”.

“And I think there are a lot of these players who believe that the stakes at the moment are becoming existential. So I think that always is a recipe for a higher risk of conflict.”