The British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has warned Tehran to “cease and desist” after airstrikes pummelled Iranian backed Houthis militant bases in Yemen.
Shapps warned that the world is “running out of patience” as Iran continues to destabilise the region.
Middle Eastern experts are warning the airstrikes by the US and UK is risking a wider conflict across the Middle East.
The Houthis’ Supreme Political Council warned in a statement, that “all American-British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni armed forces.”
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They called the coalition airstrikes a “direct and declared aggression against the Republic of Yemen” and labelled the US and UK as the “aggressors.”
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out further airstrikes overnight on Houthis targets in Yemen.
CENTCOM said the Navy destroyer USS Carney carried out “follow-on action” against a Houthis radar site using Tomahawk missiles in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The capital Sanaa was rocked by explosions overnight and the Houthis militant has vowed there will be a “strong and effective response” to the US.
The British Defence Secretary warned Iran that the “limit has been truly crossed” and the US and UK strikes on Friday were “designed to degrade the Houthis ability” to continue attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Central Command said on Saturday in a statement, “Since 19 November 2023, Iranian-backed Houthi militants have attempted to attack and harass vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden 28 times.
“These illegal incidents include attacks that have employed anti-ship ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missiles.
These strikes have no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian, a defensive coalition of over 20 countries operating in the Red Sea, Bab al Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden.
Shapps wrote in the Telegraph after being asked what his message to Tehran is, “You must get the Houthi rebels, others who are acting as proxies for you, Lebanese Hezbollah are obvious examples, [and] some in Iraq and Syria, you must get these different organisations to cease and desist because we are, the world is, running out of patience.
“We see you, we see through what you’re doing. We see how you’re doing it, particularly the Houthi rebels, and no good can come from it.
