Britain is on the brink of blasting bases in Yemen after Iran-backed Houthi rebels aimed their biggest missile and drone strike at a Royal Navy warship. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned the military might was in place “to do what needs to be done”.
Asked if Britain would launch strikes on Yemen, he responded: “Watch this space”. It came hours after HMS Diamond unleashed a devastating barrage of Sea Viper missiles and anti-aircraft cannon to defend itself and nearby ships in the Red Sea.
Shapps said the Type 45 destroyer, with 260 crew, appeared to have been targeted in strikes on Tuesday night but the drones and missiles were downed with “no injuries or damage sustained to HMS Diamond or her crew”.
He vowed the Houthi rebels would face “consequences” for launching their largest-ever attack on shipping with 18 kamikaze drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and a ballistic anti-ship missile on Tuesday night.
He also vowed to lobby the Treasury to ramp up spending on defence to 2.5 percent of GDP. He said: “We’re living in much more dangerous times.” Asked if he would press for a rise in the next budget, he said: “Yeah for sure. I am on record saying I think it should be 3 percent. “Let’s get to 2.5 percent first. But I absolutely believe we need spend more.”
HMS Diamond’s crew shot down seven of the drones in a joint blitz with US warships including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.
US Central Command said it was the 26th attack on shipping in less than two months. Shapps said the attacks showed Iran and the Houthis had ignored previous warnings.
Naval sources confirmed the ship was “in the line of fire”. Iran is thought to have radars on its merchant ship MV Behshad to track vessels in the region and pass the intel to Houthis.
Shapps said there was no doubt that Iran was the “eyes and ears” of the rebels. He told The Sun: “Iran are helping to guide these attacks. That is certainly the case.
“We are being very clear with Tehran that this is not acceptable.” But he signaled any UK strikes would target Houthis in Yemen. Asked if Britain would strike Iran, he said: “Our concern is directly with where these attacks are coming from.
“That is the Houthis who are, as you know, stationed in Yemen and carrying out attacks from Yemen.” Military experts at the Rusi think tank warned, “it may prove difficult for the West to effectively degrade Houthi capabilities”.
Houthi rebels ramped up attacks on of the world’s busiest shipping lanes in a show of support for Hamas terrorists who unleashed the October 7 massacre in Israel.
Commenting on how concerning the escalation by the Yemeni rebel group is, Rear Admiral Chris Parry told The Sun: “The end is to impose costs on those countries that are either tacitly or actively supporting Israel.
