The Independent
By Holly Evans , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar , Andy Gregory
Both Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak have issued statements on the strikes carried out in the Red Sea.
The US and the UK have launched scores of airstrikes against targets linked to the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen , in a coordinated overnight assault using allied aircraft, ships and submarines.
Rishi Sunak and US president Joe Biden both issued statements in which they condemned the “reckless actions” of the Houthi group that has targeted dozens of international cargo ships in the Red Sea, a major artery of world commerce, since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Huge explosions were seen in Yemeni cities including Sanaa and Hodeidah in the early hours of Friday, with the US military saying 60 strikes were launched against 16 sites linked to the Houthis’ military operations.
Three weeks ago, the US launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, a concerted effort to protect international shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.
Late on Thursday, Mr Sunak held an emergency cabinet meeting, amid speculation the UK would launch strikes.
Following reports from the cabinet meeting, opposition MPs had called for a recall of Parliament before the UK took military action.
11 minutes ago
Public should not have to wait until Monday for answers, says Scottish Greens co-leader
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said that Rishi Sunak must explain these “grave and deeply troubling new developments”.
“The people of the UK will not stand another government taking it to war in the Middle East, or acting without even observing a basic democratic process,” said Mr Harvie.
“The UK Government should not have acted without consulting Parliament and should recall MPs to address the actions that risk destabilising the region further. The public should not have to wait a weekend for answers.
“We should all be deeply troubled by the UK’s history of military interventions in the region, often making matters worse and learn lessons of the past.
“The situation in the Red Sea is of course alarming, but this will increase tensions or widen conflicts further. The critical condition for de-escalating the conflict is an immediate ceasefire and an end to the killing in Gaza.”
Andy Gregory – 12 January 2024 09:47
23 minutes ago
Russia calls for UN Security Council meeting after ‘reckless’ strikes
Iran’s ally Russia has condemned Britain and the United States for military strikes on Yemen, which Moscow warned was an irresponsible adventure that risked sowing chaos across the entire Middle East – as it called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
Russia, which has been criticised for what the West says is an illegal war in Ukraine, said the attack on Yemen took place without any mandate from the United Nations and was thus an illegal “adventure” by the United States and its allies.
“We strongly condemn these irresponsible actions by the United States and its allies,” said Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson
“A large-scale military escalation in the Red Sea region could strike out the positive trends that have emerged recently in the Yemeni settlement process, as well as provoke a destabilisation of the situation throughout the Middle East.”
Russia said it shared the concerns of Saudi Arabia and others in the region over the strikes. Riyadh called for restraint and “avoiding escalation” after the strikes and said it was monitoring the situation with great concern.
“We share the concerns expressed by our regional partners, in particular from Saudi Arabia,” Ms Zakharova said.
There were explosions in Hodeidah, a major Red Sea port city in western Yemen (Sky News)
Andy Gregory – 12 January 2024 09:35
37 minutes ago
UK strike ‘reckless act of escalation’, says Jeremy Corbyn
Some left-wing Labour MPs have shared their outrage at Rishi Sunak bypassing parliament to launch strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has outright condemned the UK and US attack – calling it a “reckless act of escalation”. He said it was “utterly disgraceful” that parliament has not even been consulted…
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