https://news.antiwar.com/2024/01/11/uks-sunak-authorizes-joint-strikes-with-us-on-yemen/
UK’s Sunak Authorizes Joint Strikes With US on Yemen
Strikes could happen as soon as Thursday night and the Houthis are warning of a major response
by Dave DeCamp
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has authorized joint airstrikes with the US against the Houthis in Yemen, and the bombing could happen as soon as Thursday night, several media outlets have reported.
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are warning that any strikes will be met with a major response. “Any American attack will not remain without a response. The response will be greater than the attack that was carried out with 20 drones and a number of missiles,” said Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi.
The US and the UK have been considering striking the Houthis for weeks in response to Houthi attacks on Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea, which the Houthis started in protest of the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza. The US recently sank three Houthi boats, killing 10 Yemenis, but has not directly bombed Yemen.
Airstrikes in Yemen risk shattering a fragile peace between the Houthis and the US-backed Saudi-led coalition, although the Saudis have distanced themselves from the US response to the Houthi attacks.
The Houthis have repeatedly vowed they would not back down in the face of the US military and that they would only stop attacking Israel-linked vessels once the siege on Gaza is ended. Instead of cutting off Israel or leveraging military aid to put an end to the Israeli slaughter, President Biden has chosen regional escalation, having previously launched several rounds of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.