UK fights back to protect ships in the Red Sea – 19 January 2024

THE Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, says Britain is ready to protect itself after striking back against a group that is attacking ships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis are a group that controls most of Yemen – a country in the Middle East that has a coastline on the Red Sea. For weeks, they have been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea, using drones, missiles and speedboats. The Red Sea is an important trade route because it’s a shortcut for cargo ships sailing between Asia and Europe. These ships carry goods to be sold in shops in the UK and around the world.

Since the attacks, ships have started avoiding the Red Sea and sailing all the way around Africa instead. This causes delays in the delivery of goods – on average, it adds ten days to the journey of each ship, and an extra $1m (£790,000) in fuel costs.

One night last week, the UK and the US carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, to force them to stop attacking ships. A Houthi spokesperson said there were 72 strikes in all, and five Houthis were killed.

This week, Mr Sunak told MPs: “I don’t take decisions on the use of force lightly… it was a necessary response to a direct threat against UK vessels, and therefore, to the UK itself.” The opposition party, Labour, backed the PM’s decision.

The Houthis, who are anti-Israel, say they are attacking ships in protest at the war in Gaza, and that the UK and US airstrikes haven’t put them off attacking more ships. On Monday, a Houthi missile hit a US-owned ship, but caused no serious damage.

Published Friday 19 January 2024

Picture credit: Getty