Why is UK Bombing Yemen? Rishi Sunak says attack on Houthi targets was an act of 'self-defense'

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that the combined UK and US military attack on the Houthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday, January 11, 2024, was a "limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense."

"The United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade. We have therefore taken limited, necessary, and proportionate action in self-defense," he said.

On Thursday, the UK and US military forces launched an airstrike against the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen to counterattack the latter's incessant assault on the naval vessels on the Red Sea. The Houthis' first attack came after the Israel-Palestine conflict started due to the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.

According to CNBC, the Houthis first launched the attacks in hopes of aiding Gaza by stopping vessels headed toward Israel through the Red Sea. Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks till the conflict comes to an end.

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The UK and the US joined forces to attack Yemen, backed by several other nations

According to Sky News, a joint statement issued by 10 governments through the White House said that they would "not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways."

"The Houthis' more than two dozen attacks on commercial vessels since mid-November constitute an international challenge. Today's action demonstrated a shared commitment to freedom of navigation, international commerce, and defending the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks," the statement read.

The nations that took part in the joint strike included Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.

According to Reuters, Russia has condemned the US and UK attacks on Yemen, stating that it was an "irresponsible action" that could "provoke a destabilization of the situation throughout the Middle East."

Since the October 7 attacks, the Houthi rebels of Yemen have been ceaselessly attacking commercial ships that cross the Red Sea to stop ships from entering Israel to aid the conflict.

According to AP News, they have carried out 27 drone and missile attacks since November 19 and alleged that they had seized an Israeli cargo ship. A week ago, other nations warned them to cease fire, or there would be consequences.

On Tuesday, January 9, the Houthis launched their biggest attack to date, and on January 11, they fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden. Following this, UK and US military forces counterattacked.

According to AP News, the US Air Force’s Mideast command said it struck over 60 targets at 16 sites in Yemen, including “command-and-control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems.”

US President Joe Biden released a statement that said:

“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes."

According to BBC, the Houthis’ attacks in the Red Sea have increased by 500% between November and December, forcing commercial ships to traverse through alternate routes that take more time and use more fuel, thereby directly affecting the economy.

Passage via the Red Sea offers the shortest distance between Europe and Asia, and almost 15% of all global naval commerce happens via the Red Sea, which is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. These attacks affected major shipping companies like the Mediterranean Shipping Company, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and the oil company BP, as they had to divert their ships to alternate routes.

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Who are the Houthi rebels in Yemen?

According to the BBC, the Houthis are Yemen's armed rebel forces who are named after their founder, Hussein al Houthi. The group was established in the 1990s as a resistance group against their then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who they presumed to be corrupt.

The Houthis have been fighting a civil war against the Yemen government since 2014 with staggering casualties, causing an estimated death of 377,000 and leaving four million people displaced, as reported by the UN in 2022.

The Houthis are allegedly backed by Iran, with the US government believing that Iran has been deeply involved in the attacks in the Red Sea. The Houthis and Iran face a common enemy, Saudi Arabia, who tried to oust the Houthis from power in 2003 but failed.

As per the BBC, the rebels established a stronghold in Yemen, with Sana's (the country's capital), north Yemen, and the Red Sea coastline under their control. They were reportedly estimated to have around 100,000 to 120,000 followers by 2010.

According to CNBC, the Houthis consider themselves allies of Gaza, vowing to keep up their attacks in the Red Sea till a ceasefire is called. Following the counterattacks by the UK and US, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi promised to retaliate, saying in a televised speech:

“We’ll confront the American aggression. Any American attack won’t go unpunished.”

It is unknown whether the attacks in Yemen had any casualties at the time of writing this article.

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The Israel-Palestine conflict continues, reaching almost 100 days since Israel's first bombardment in the Gaza Strip following the October 7 Hamas attack.