MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
UK preparing for attacks on Houthi rebels with US
The militant group has caused chaos in the Red Sea by attacking and hijacking ships
Houthi troops in Yemen: the militant group has been hijacking and attacking ships in the Red Sea
YAHYA ARHAB/EPA
Britain’s military is preparing to launch a wave of air strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis creating chaos in the Red Sea, raising the prospect of a significant spiralling of tensions in the region.
Under the plans the UK would join with the US and possibly another European country to unleash a salvo of missiles against pre-planned targets, either in the sea or in Yemen itself, where the militants are based.
It is understood that the co-ordinated strikes could involve RAF warplanes or HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer which successfully destroyed an attack drone with a Sea Viper missile in the Red Sea this month.
The Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by Houthi fighters, has now become a tourist attraction at a port on the Red Sea in Yemen’s province of Hodeida
AFP
A statement is expected to be released by Britain and the US in the coming days that will warn the
