The United States and Great Britain have carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, the latest of several attacks in recent weeks.
The Houthis are an Iranian-backed group that Israel considers an enemy.
In response to the war in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis began firing drones and missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps says the latest strikes in Yemen are “not an escalation”.
He states that Houthi attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea are “illegal and unacceptable”.
– It is our duty to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation – adds the Minister of Defense, justifying the operation as “proportionate and directed against the military goals of the Houthis in Yemen”, reports the BBC.
Shapps is convinced that the latest strikes – the third wave of joint UK-US military action – have “further degraded the capabilities of the Houthis”.
The Houthis claim they are targeting ships in the Red Sea that are owned, flagged or operated by Israel, or that are bound for Israeli ports. However, many of the vessels that were attacked have no connection to Israel.
US-led naval forces thwarted many of the attacks.
Major shipping companies have stopped using the Red Sea, through which almost 15 percent of global maritime trade usually passes, and are instead using the much longer route around southern Africa.
