Wake-up call for the West: why Sunak had to strike

But attack raises key questions for Britain over its defence spending

- Robert Fox 

THE plans to strike Houthi missile and guerrilla bases had been in place for weeks — as we indicated in the Evening Standard from before Christmas.

The Houthi war machine had been threatening freedom of navigation in international waters since November. They said they were acting to support Hamas in Gaza. This week came the tipping point with Tuesday’s massed drone and missile attack on American and British forces in the Red Sea. One of the main targets was the destroyer HMS Diamond. By gunfire and the Sea Viper missiles it fended off at least six attack drones.

This has proved a red line. So, too, are the increasingly lethal attacks on commercial shippings, huge container carriers and tankers. Two had been set on fire and two experienced near misses by sophisticated Iranian antiship missiles. The Houthis have also taken to launching new generation of Iranian ballistic missiles, which could have a range of 800 miles.