Loud and clear: new strikes signal tough British message

Cameron defends RAF attacks as he vows to protect Red Sea cargo fleet

- Rachael Burford

“WE back our words and our warnings with action,” the Foreign Secretary said today after Britain and the US launched another wave of strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen overnight.

Lord Cameron said militant attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea were “unacceptable and insisted the latest air assaults against the Islamist group would “send the clearest possible message”. The Iranian-backed rebels have been targeting international shipping for weeks along vital Red Sea and Gulf of Aden trade routes. The US military confirmed that the strikes were against eight targets and the British Ministry of Defence said four RAF Typhoons and a two Voyager tankers were involved.

Lord Cameron said: “What we have done again is send the clearest possible message that we will continue to degrade their ability to carry out these attacks while sending the clearest possible message that we back our words and our warnings with action.”