BRACED FOR REVENGE

MILITARY CHIEFS PREPARE FOR ATTACKS FROM YEMEN MILITIA

- PATRICK HILL and BEN TURNER

 

BRITISH military chiefs were last night braced for revenge attacks by Houthi fanatics.

The Iran-backed militia group has vowed to respond to air strikes on Yemen.

Four RAF Typhoons based in Cyprus took part in the first blitz by US and UK forces on Thursday night and are reportedly ready to join another.

Destroyer HMS Diamond is on "high alert" in the Red Sea and poised for any reaction.

MP Alicia Kearns, chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, told us: "We must prepare ourselves for any attempts at reprisals on UK personnel and allies, most likely by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.

The US and UK acted in an attempt to deter the Houthis from aiming drones and rockets at cargo ships in the Red Sea. But the air attacks have led to rising fears of terror outrages on UK soil.

Tensions in the Red Sea have escalated since November when the Islamist fighters started targeting one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

They claim it is to support Palestinians following the October invasion by Israeli forces.