UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has stated that British forces are prepared to take action against Houthi rebels who target cargo ships in the Red Sea. In an op-ed for a newspaper, Shapps said that the UK was willing to take direct action to protect the shipping lane, citing the recent incident where a British warship shot down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea. Shapps warned that if the Red Sea was not protected, it risked emboldening those threatening elsewhere including in the South China Sea and Crimea.
The Iran-backed rebel group has targeted foreign ships since the Israel-Hamas war began, declaring support for Hamas and launching over 100 drone and missile attacks. In his Daily Telegraph article, Shapps wrote that the Houthis should be aware that the UK was committed to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks. He added that continued Red Sea aggression risked miscalculation and escalation which could trigger a region-wide conflict.
Shapps emphasised that the situation was a test for the international community and that the UK needed to remain firm with its allies. The United States has already launched an international naval operation to protect ships in the area, which includes countries such as Canada, France, Bahrain, Norway, and Spain, as well as the UK.
The Houthi attacks pose a significant threat to one of the world’s most important shipping lanes linking markets in Europe with Asia and analysts warn that it could result in a rise in oil and liquefied natural gas prices. On Sunday, US helicopters from nearby warships sank three Houthi “small boats” whose crew attempted to board a container ship in the Red Sea after being fired upon
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