Yemen LIVE: Iran condemns US and UK-led airstrikes on targets used by Houthi rebels – who say their attacks on shipping will continue

Here’s what we know about the US and UK airstrikes that hit Houthi-controlled cities in Yemen last night.

• Four RAF Typhoon jets set off from RAF Akrotiri, a military airbase in Cyprus
• The aircraft conducted precision strikes on two Houthi military targets – one being Bani in north-western Yemen, and the other was the airfield at Abbs
• The MoD said Paveway IV guided bombs were used to conduct ‘precision strikes’
• The US used Tomahawk missiles fired from warships and jets to target 12 sites including the capital San’na, and the Houthi Red Sea port Hudaydah
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the action was in self-defence
• US President Joe Biden vowed he would not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people
• Support came from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands
• It comes after the Houthi rebels’ sustained attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea
• Mr Sunak had earlier held an emergency meeting with his top team during a call from Downing Street to brief them on the plans

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement on Friday that Iran strongly condemns the U.S.-Britain attack on Yemen’s Houthis, Nournews reported.

Kanaani said: ‘We strongly condemn the military attacks carried out this morning by the United States and the United Kingdom on several cities in Yemen.

‘We consider it a clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a breach of international laws, regulations, and rights.’

Yemen’s Houthis spokesperson said on Friday there was no justification for the U.S.-Britain attack on Yemen and the Iran-backed group will continue targeting ships heading towards Israel, Mohammed Abdulsalam posted on X.

The United States and Britain launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea in support of Gaza.

Australia provided personnel support to the U.S. and UK in their strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, Defence Minister Richard Marles said this morning.

‘Australia’s support of these actions came in the form of personnel in the operational headquarters,’ Marles told a news conference.

‘Australia will continue to support any actions which assert the global rules-based order.’

Saudi Arabia called for restraint and ‘avoiding escalation’ in light of the air strikes launched by the United States and Britain against sites linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen, the kingdom’s foreign ministry said on Friday.

Saudi Arabia, which has in recent months engaged in peace talks with Yemen’s Houthis, was closely monitoring the situation with ‘great concern,’ the foreign ministry said in a statement.

‘The kingdom emphasizes the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region, as the freedom of navigation in it is an international demand,’ the ministry added.

US officials have said there has been no retaliatory action by the Houthis yet.

‘While we fully expect this action to diminish the Houthis’ capability and degrade it, and certainly over time to reduce their capacity and propensity to conduct these attacks, we would not be surprised to see some sort of response,’ one official told reporters on a conference call.

A high-ranking Houthi official, Ali al-Qahoum, vowed there would be retaliation.

‘The battle will be bigger – and beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British,’ he said in a post on X.

The below map shows the areas in Yemen that were targeted last night

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has released a statement detailing the airstrikes.

He said: ‘Today’s strikes targeted sites associated with the Houthis’ unmanned aerial vehicle, ballistic and cruise missile, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities.

‘The United States maintains its right to self-defence and, if necessary, we will take follow-on actions to protect US forces.’

He added: ‘We will not hesitate to defend our forces, the global economy, and the free flow of legitimate commerce in one of the world’s vital waterways.’

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said on X it was ‘our duty to protect vessels and freedom of navigation’

The Ministry of Defence has said last night that ‘particular care was taken to minimise any risks to civilians’ when planning the strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

A statement said four RAF Typhoons used Paveway IV guided bombs to ‘conduct precision strikes’ on two targets that had been chosen to ‘reduce the Houthis’ capability to violate international law’.

The statement said: ‘One was a site at Bani in north-western Yemen used to launch reconnaissance and attack drones. A number of buildings involved in drone operations were targeted by our aircraft.

‘The other location struck by our aircraft was the airfield at Abbs. Intelligence has shown that it has been used to launch both cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea. Several key targets at the airfield were identified and prosecuted by our aircraft.

‘In planning the strikes, particular care was taken to minimise any risks to civilians, and any such risks were mitigated further by the decision to conduct the strikes during the night.

‘The detailed results of the strikes are being assessed, but early indications are that the Houthis’ ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow, and our commitment to protecting the sea-lanes, through which some 15 per cent of the world’s shipping passes and which is vital to the global economy, has been amply demonstrated.’

Four RAF Typhoon jets took off from RAF Akrotiri to join US military aircraft to conduct strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

Heavy air strikes pounded rebel-held cities in Yemen early on Friday, the Houthi rebels’ official media and AFP correspondents said.

The capital Sanaa, Hodeida and Saada were all targeted, the Houthis’ official media said, blaming ‘American aggression with British participation’

Rishi Sunak has just released this statement.

He said: ‘The Royal Air Force has carried out targeted strikes against military facilities used by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

‘In recent months, the Houthi militia have carried out a series of dangerous and destabilising attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, threatening UK and other international ships, causing major disruption to a vital trade route and driving up commodity prices.

‘Their reckless actions are risking lives at sea and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

‘Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships just this week.

‘This cannot stand. 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-defence, alongside the United States with non-operational support from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain against targets tied to these attacks, to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.

‘The Royal Navy continues to patrol the Red Sea as part of the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian to deter further Houthi aggression, and we urge them to cease their attacks and take steps to de-escalate.’

US President Joe Biden last night said: ‘Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces -together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands – successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.

‘These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea – including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.

‘These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation. More than 50 nations have been affected in 27 attacks on international commercial shipping.

‘Crews from more than 20 countries have been threatened or taken hostage in acts of piracy. 

‘More than 2,000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea – which can cause weeks of delays in product shipping times. And on January 9, Houthis launched their largest attack to date – directly targeting American ships.

‘The response of the international community to these reckless attacks has been united and resolute.

‘Last month, the United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian – a coalition of more than 20 nations committed to defending international shipping and deterring Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. 

‘We also joined more than 40 nations in condemning Houthi threats. Last week, together with 13 allies and partners, we issued an unequivocal warning that Houthi rebels would bear the consequences if their attacks did not cease.

‘And yesterday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution demanding the Houthis end attacks on merchant and commercial vessels.

‘Today’s defensive action follows this extensive diplomatic campaign and Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks against commercial vessels.

‘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.

‘I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.’

You can read our full story as the UK and US launch their first bombs on Houthi rebels

A US defence official is reported to have told Voice of America: ‘We hit them pretty hard, pretty good.’

These images supposedly showing the moment missiles struck have been shared on X by freelance journalist Ali Al-Sakani.

The US and the UK are bombing more than a dozen sites, in a massive retaliatory strike using warship-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, several US officials have told the Associated Press.

Associated Press journalists in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, heard four explosions early Friday local time but saw no sign of warplanes.

Two residents of Hodieda, Amin Ali Saleh and Hani Ahmed, said they heard five strong explosions. Hodieda lies on the Red Sea and is the largest port city controlled by the Houthis.

Yemen freelance journalist Ali Al-Sakani said on X, formerly Twitter, locals had told him the strikes were targeting the Houthi positions in Sana’a, Saada, Dhamar and Hudaydah.

The US and the UK have started bombing Yemen with three explosions heard, reports Reuters.

Three explosions were heard in Yemen’s capital Sana’a

Three residents of Yemen’s Hodeidah told news agency Reuters the city has been on alert since Thursday evening, with the heavy deployment of Houthi forces and movement of military trucks.

Houthi military sites and camps in Hodeidah were also being evacuated, they said.

The Shia militant group is allied to Tehran, as are Hamas and Hezbollah, and seeks to reduce western influence in the Middle East.

Its slogan includes the words ‘death to America’, ‘death to Israel’ and ‘a curse upon the Jews’.

You can read more about the Houthi rebels below.

Air force recon jets were seen flying over Saudi Arabia on Thursday night. The Boeing RC-135 was spotted on Flight24 radar above Riyadh.

Tory MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Alicia Kearns says the situation in the Red Sea is no longer tenable.

She released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, with Britain on the brink of launching airstrikes in Yemen.

The image below taken from Flightradar24 shows the airspace around Yemen completely empty ahead of the imminent airstrikes.

US President Joe Biden is expected to make a statement tonight after the US and UK conduct military strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The strikes are expected shortly with a series of statements from the US, UK and other international leaders to follow, the Times reports.

Both the UK and the US warned there could be consequences if ships are continually targeted in the Red Sea.

Tesla will suspend most car production at its factory near Berlin from Jan. 29 to Feb. 11, the company said on Thursday, citing a lack of components due to shifts in transport routes because of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.

The partial production stop is evidence that the crisis in the Red Sea, unleashed by Iranian-backed Houthi militants attacking vessels in solidarity with Palestinian Islamist group Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza, has hit Europe’s largest economy.

The U.S. electric vehicle maker is the first company to disclose an interruption to output due to the disruption. Many companies including Geely, China’s second-largest automaker by sales, and Swedish home furnishing company Ikea have warned of delays to deliveries.

‘The armed conflicts in the Red Sea and the associated shifts in transport routes between Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope are also having an impact on production in Gruenheide,’ Tesla said in a statement.

Read more from Reuters here:

Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has called for a recall of Parliament.

He said: ‘The UK does not have a good record of military intervention in the Middle East.

‘It is therefore incumbent that Westminster is recalled, MPs briefed and allowed to debate and scrutinise any decision to pursue military action that the UK Government is proposing.’

The SNP’s Westminster leader, Stephen Flynn, also said MPs should be recalled, calling the situation in the Red Sea ‘complex and serious’.

On X, he wrote: ‘Based solely upon media reports this is quite clearly a very complex and serious situation that is developing at speed.

‘It is incumbent upon the UK Government to appraise Parliament as soon as possible and MPs must therefore be recalled to Westminster.’

Oliver Dowden, Deputy Prime Minister, has been pictured leaving Downing Street this evening.

Maritime security analyst Ian Ralby said Houthi rebels were ‘merchants of chaos’ and ‘don’t play by the same rules as the rest of us’.

He told Sky News: ‘The Houthis are merchants of chaos, and they are really enjoying the attention they are getting.

‘This is a very dangerous moment… [the Houthis] do not play by the same rules as the rest of us.’

Iran may seek to make good on a threat to close the Strait of Gibraltar if the UK retaliates against the Houthi rebel force for drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a military expert has warned.

Major General Chip Chapman, a former head of counter-terrorism at the MoD, told GB News: ‘One of the things which could be done…if you take the Houthis as one of their proxy forces [Iran], is that they’ve said that they might close the Strait of Gibraltar.

‘You might say they haven’t got the capability to do that but they’ve also got a proxy force with the Polisario Front in Morocco.

‘So, although it might seem unlikely, it doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t happen.’

He added: ‘In essence, this is what the Houthis would say is part of the theatre of war against the Israelis.

‘And from both their perspective and the Iranian perspective that is a unity of fronts and a ring of fire around the Israelis.’

The Government is considering strikes on targets in Yemen in a bid to stop attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held an emergency cabinet meeting on Thursday night as the situation appeared to escalate.

A British warship joined three US ships and a French vessel last month in a bid to protect the ships in narrow strip of water between Yemen and east Africa, which is a key trade route, but the attacks have continued.

These are the ships that have been deployed and which others may be sent there following Thursday night’s developments:

The Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been seen entering the cabinet office in the last 30 minutes where he has been briefed.

Sidharth Kaushal, of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think-tank said ‘it would appear that things are coming to a head’.

There are no defensive options left which will convince these companies to return to the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman. That will require a cessation of hostilities.

Offensive options could include airstrikes on military infrastructure in Yemen. Eight years ago the United States destroyed a Houthi radar station apparently used to coordinate attacks on one of its ships.

The Mail understands F-35B Lightning stealth jets based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus are being readied for action.

These aircraft were expected to play a key role in the air strikes likely to target Houthi rocket launcher sites and command and control facilities.

British drones equipped with lethal RX-9 were also primed, it is understood.

(Below is a stock image of a F-35B Lightning Fighter jet)

The rebels say their assaults are aimed at stopping Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But their targets are increasingly random, raising the risk of a US retaliatory strike on Yemen.

Britain has been moving its warships into the Red Sea in recent days.

Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond left Gibraltar yesterday amid a build up of forces in the region between Africa and Arabia.

Admiral Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, said that the UK and US has to show that ‘enough is enough’ after drones and missiles launched from the Arabian state were shot down by HMS Diamond and American warships.

Sky News is reporting the Government will brief Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer following the virtual cabinet meeting.

The US and the UK are ready to carry out airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen as early as tonight – targeting the ballistic sites where the rebels have been launching missiles.

Lord Cameron spoke on Monday about the situation in the Red Sea, which he labelled as ‘extremely dangerous’.

Downing Street has just released details of a call Mr Sunak had with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi this afternoon to discuss the rise in Houthi attacks.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the PM told him ‘the UK would continue to take action to defend freedom of navigation and protect lives at sea’.

The two leaders spoke about the rise in Houthi attacks, the spokesperson told The Telegraph, and the disruptive impact on global shipping.

The Prime Minister thanked President Sisi for his continued support on the humanitarian and diplomatic effort in Gaza, including on joint work to secure the release of British hostages and those with links to the UK.

They agreed on the importance of significantly scaling up the aid reaching Palestinians in Gaza to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis. The Prime Minister said the UK was urging Israel to open more land crossings and to allow in far greater quantities of aid, up to 500 trucks a day.

The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are heavily impacting vessels carrying cargo with shipping companies in response rerouting around South Africa.

Tesco boss Ken Murphy has warned this could create a knock-on effect on the prices of some goods.

The US Central Command says the Houthis have carried out 27 attacks in the Red Sea since November 19.

They said the rebels’ latest attack came today at around 2am (Yemen time) when they fired an anti-ship ballistic missile ‘from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden’.

One ship saw the missile hit the water. No one was injured and no damage was reported.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps spoke yesterday about the Houthi’s continued attacks in the Red Sea.

You can hear what he said in the video below.

The UK’s only Palestinian MP Layla Moran says it’s vital there is a vote in Parliament if Britain is planning military action.

The Cabinet was tonight due to sign off military reprisals against Iranian-backed rebels terrorising shipping in the Red Sea.

Rishi Sunak summoned an emergency meeting of the Cabinet at 7.45pm to brief ministers ahead of expected overnight air strikes against Houthi rebels operating out of Yemen.

Downing Street declined to comment ahead of what is expected to be a significant military operation led by the United States.

But Whitehall sources confirmed that the Prime Minister is ready to sign off military reprisals against the Houthis, who have launched a string of attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea in recent weeks.

The plans were finalised today following meetings of the Prime Minister’s National Security Council and the emergency committee Cobra.

Sir William Patey, the former UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Iraq, has told Sky News the airstrikes could spark a conflict between the UK and Iran.

Ultimately the biggest danger is that we end up in a conflict with Iran because the Houthis are acting here not on their own but agents of Iran.

The West is plotting airstrikes in response to the Houthi rebels attacks in the Red Sea.

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has just been seen walking into No10 Downing Street ahead of the meeting.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage as Rishi Sunak is about to hold an emergency meeting with his cabinet.

The Prime Minister is set to plan with members a response to the attacks from the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.