Defence Secretary Statement to the House of Commons
Statement on air strike against Houthi military facility in Yemen
With permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a statement to update the House on the action that we took last night against a Houthi military target.
We did so in collective self-defence and to uphold the freedom of navigation, as Britain has always done.
Mr Speaker, yesterday, UK forces conducted a joint operation with US allies against a Houthi military facility in Yemen.
Our intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings – fifteen miles south of Sanaa – used by the Houthis to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Royal Air Force Typhoons FGR4s – with air refuelling support from RAF Voyager tankers – struck a number of these buildings with Paveway 4 precision bombs last night.
This action was limited, it was targeted, it was devised to minimise the risk of civilian life.
Everyone involved from the UK operation has returned to base safely.
And I want to thank, on behalf of the House, all the members of our Armed Forces involved in this operation – and pay tribute to them, for their total professionalism and their courage.
Mr Speaker, yesterday’s operation was carried out alongside the US, our closest security ally.
It was conducted in line with both the UN Charter and the established UK policy of this Government and the last.
[political content removed]
Mr Speaker, yesterday’s attack aligns with four broad objectives:
One – to restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Two – to degrade Houthi capability and prevent future attacks.
Three – to reinforce regional security alongside allies and partners.
And four – to protect our economic security at home.
First thing this morning the Government briefed the Shadow Defence Secretary, the Speakers of both Houses, the Liberal Democrats Defence Spokesperson and the Chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee.
I can tell the House now this afternoon, that our initial assessment is that the planned targets were successfully hit and we have seen no evidence of civilian casualties.
Mr Speaker, since November 2023, the Houthis have waged a campaign of aggression against international shipping in the Red Sea.
To date, there have been over 320 attacks.
These attacks are illegal, deadly and we totally condemn them.
Maritime routes have been disrupted, sailors have been killed, commercial ships hit and sunk.
The Houthis have even targeted aid vessels destined for Yemen itself, as well as military vessels of our allies and partners.
Both Royal and US Navies have been forced into action in the Red Sea and last September I met with the crew of HMS Diamond, who shot down a ballistic missile and drones in self-defence during their deployment in the Red Sea.
Make no mistake, the Houthis act as an agent of instability across the region.
They continue to receive backing from Iran, both military and financial.
And even Russia has attempted to support the Houthi operations.
The aggression in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden is yet another example of how our adversaries are increasingly working together against our interests.
So Mr Speaker, I want to be clear:
This government rejects any Houthi claims that attacking ships in the Red Sea is somehow supporting Gaza.
The Houthis were targeting tankers and seizing ships well before the war in Gaza began.
Their attacks since have targeted vessels of all nations.
So hear me when I say:
These attacks do absolutely nothing for the Palestinian people or the push for a lasting peace.
Mr Speaker, an estimated 12% of global trade and 30 per cent of container traffic, passes through the Red Sea every year.
But the Houthi threat has led to a drastic fall.
Levels are 55% down than what they were in November 2023.
The majority of ships now take a 5,000-mile diversion around the Cape of Good Hope, adding a full fortnight to a journey from Asia to Europe and pushing up prices of the goods British people and others rely on.
This cannot continue.
Mr Speaker, in Opposition, I argued that:
“the lion’s share of the responsibility for protecting international freedom of navigation in the Red Sea is being shouldered by the Americans, just as the US has been doing across the world now for nearly 80 years.”
And since last month, the US has been conducting a sustained campaign targeting the Houthis in Yemen to restore freedom of navigation.
They moved two carriers into the region.
Their recent strikes have destroyed multiple command-and-control centres, air defence systems, advanced weapons manufacturing sites, and advanced weapons storage sites.
The US military say their operations have degraded the effectiveness of the Houthi attack, reporting that ballistic missile launches have dropped by 69% and one-way drone attacks are down by 55%.
Mr Speaker, the US continues to be the UK’s closest security ally.
They are stepping up in the Red Sea – we are alongside them.
Yesterday’s joint operation builds on the broader support that we have provided to the US in the region in recent months.
That includes, air to air refuelling, the use of our important military base, Diego Garcia, for regional security operations and RAF Typhoons to support the defence of the US Carrier Strike Group – which has been coming under near daily attack now from Houthi missiles and drones.
Mr Speaker, this Government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.
The UK is now stepping up and encouraging allies to do more to protect our common security, just as we are with last week’s deployment of our Carrier Strike Group, starting on an eight-month operation to the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific.
The UK has a long and proud history of taking action to protect freedom of navigation.
This illegal Houthi aggression doesn’t just disrupt shipping, it doesn’t just destabilise the region, it hits our economy here at home.
And that’s why this government took this decision, that’s why the UK has taken this action, to help protect freedom of navigation, reinforce regional stability, strengthen economic security for families across the country.
Mr Speaker, we are determined we will keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad.