British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday that further strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen would be considered if necessary, but the government had no plans to launch a ground operation in the region.
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“We will be watching closely and if we need to take further steps then we will consider that. But our aim was to send a very clear message to the Houthis, which I think has been done successfully,” he told.
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In addition, the head of the department noted that Britain will monitor developments, but there are no plans to intervene in Yemen or the need for additional strikes.
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“We’re not looking to go into Yemen or anything like that, but we just want to send a very clear and unequivocal signal to the Iran-backed Houthis that their behavior in the Red Sea is completely unacceptable,” Shapps said.
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He added that the goal was not to eliminate all offensive capabilities of the Houthis.
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On Friday night, the United States and Great Britain launched strikes on targets of the Shiite movement Ansar Allah (Houthis) ruling in northern Yemen and supported by Iran. A member of Ansar Allah’s supreme political council, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, described the attacks as terrorist barbarity, deliberate and unjustified aggression. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria said the US and UK carried out 73 strikes in Yemen, killing five Houthi fighters and wounding six others.
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US President Joe Biden called the strikes on targets in Yemen a response to the threat to freedom of navigation, promising to continue to act without hesitation. He claimed that 27 Houthi attacks had hit commercial ships from more than 50 countries, and on January 9 the movement launched its largest attack against US warships.
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The Houthis have previously said that their actions in the Red Sea are aimed only at ships linked to Israel to help Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and do not interfere with freedom of navigation in the region.
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Arab and Muslim countries have repeatedly warned the United States that unconditional support for Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip will lead to the spread of the conflict throughout the region.
