London

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to protect British interests abroad after the Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out strikes against Houthi rebels. The UK and US forces struck Houthi targets in Yemen in the fifth combined operation since January.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed strikes took place against the Houthis on Thursday as part of a response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

In a statement on Friday morning, Sunak said, Last night, the RAF successfully conducted a fifth set of strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen alongside the US.

These strikes were conducted to further degrade the military capabilities of the Houthis and to prevent further attacks on international shipping.

The strikes were taken in self-defence in the face of an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose. Asked whether this new round of strikes risked escalation with Iran, Sunak said, We have always said that we will not hesitate to protect British interests abroad and at home.

There is an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose, 197 attacks since November, all our intelligence indicates that previous sets of strikes have been successful in degrading the military capabilities of the Houthis: targeting supply, command and control launch sites for missiles and there is also a risk in inaction that would damage the global economy and further risk our international security.