Rishi Sunak has admitted he cannot rule out British forces carrying out “sustained” strikes on Houthi rebels after a second bombing blitz in 10 days.
The Prime Minister declared “we are not seeking a confrontation” but insisted he cannot “stand by” as the militants disrupt global trade.
The Daily Express understands British fighter jets destroyed eight missile launchers clustered into two batteries during the mission on Monday.
Sources said three launchers were targeted at one location, near Sanaa airfield, while five more were hit at another site.
American warplanes, destroyers and a submarine also joined the raid in a bid to restore security in the Red Sea.
The US struck an underground storage facility used by the Houthis, an official said. The storage site was assessed to have “more advanced conventional weaponry,” including missiles and one-way attack drones.
American forces also revealed they fired at air defence and radar systems.
Mr Sunak told MPs: “We are not seeking a confrontation. We urge the Houthis and those who enable them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks,” Sunak said. “But if necessary, the United Kingdom will not hesitate to respond again in self-defence. We cannot stand by and allow these attacks to go unchallenged. Inaction is also a choice.”
He added: “I just want to be absolutely clear that no decision has been taken to embark on a sustained campaign. These are limited strikes specifically in response to threats we perceived.
“But we do reserve the right to take action in self-defence.”
Mohammed Ali-al Houthi, the head of Yemen’s Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, warned it will only encourage the militants to confront the West more.
“Expect a response every minute, if not every second, then every minute it must [be],” he said. “To expect that there is a response coming and that it will inevitably be a loss and calamity for you.”
Monday’s operation marks the second UK-US military operation targeting Houthi rebels in 10 days.
The Houthis have been targeting ships they claim are linked to Israel in response to the war with Hamas.
But the UK and allies have warned the attacks are indiscriminate and have included targeting Royal Navy and allied warships.
The Red Sea route leading to and from the Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important shipping routes and there are concerns that the cost of diverting vessels away from it, around southern Africa, will fuel inflation and damage the global economy.
And Mr Sunak revealed Houthi rebels will be sanctioned in the coming days to restrict their ability to buy weapons. Foreign Secretary David Cameron will be travelling to the region, amid plans to step up the UK’s “diplomatic engagement” in countries surrounding the Red Sea.
Outlining the UK’s wider approach to the situation in the Red Sea, he said: “We must end the illegal flow of arms to the Houthi militia.”
He added it would include “working closely with our allies and partners to disrupt and deter the supply of weapons and components”.
He added: “We are going to use the most effective means at our disposal to cut off the Houthis’ financial resources where they are used to fund these attacks.
“We are working closely with the United States on this and plan to announce new sanction measures in the coming days.
“We need to keep helping the people of Yemen who have suffered so terribly as a result of the country’s civil war. We will continue to deliver humanitarian aid and support a negotiated peace in that conflict.”
Sir Michael Graydon, a former head of the RAF, said the UK air strikes will not lead to a wider regional war.
He said: “I don’t think it will escalate into war, unless Iran deems that the war is in their interests and I cannot see it being in their interest.
“We’re talking about the United States, which is immensely powerful and is capable of doing a huge amount of damage if they deemed it necessary in Iran, and I don’t think Iran is ready for that.
“So, escalation, I don’t see that as being an immediate problem.
“Iran has got its sticky paws very much involved in this, and the question which those closest to me will be asking themselves is just how far is Iran prepared to go in this direction?
“The general wisdom at the moment is that she doesn’t really want to get into a fight with America directly…if Iran feels that it wants to continue to take the risks, then it will continue.
“But if Iran started backing away from that, then the Houthis are going to run out of capability, probably quite quickly.”
The Prime Minister also told protesters screaming support for Houthi rebels on UK streets to stop doing their “work for them”.
He said: “There is no link between our actions of self-defence in the Red Sea and the situation in Israel and Gaza. Those who make that link do the Houthis’ work for them.
“I want to be clear that those here at home who glorify the Houthis’ attacks are glorifying terrorism, plain and simple. They will be met with a zero tolerance approach.”
Alicia Kearns, Tory chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, claimed Iran is the “fundamental threat to UK stability and security” in thee Middle East, and called on ministers to set out the “strategic approach” to “comprehensively reduce the threat from all the proxies and allies that we face, so we don’t end up playing whack-a-mole”.
