The United States and United Kingdom airstrikes targeting Houthis in Yemen were an act of “self-defense,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Friday.
“Our aim is very clear. It’s to deescalate tensions and to restore stability to the region. That’s why allies over the past few weeks have issued several statements of condemnation of what’s happening, calling on the Houthis to desist,” Sunak told journalists during a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine.
He also noted the United Nations Security Council resolution that condemned Houthis’ attacks in the Red Sea, “saying that states have a right to self-defense. We have acted in self-defense.”
Sunak said the Houthi attacks were risking innocent lives, disrupting the global economy and destabilizing the region.
“We need to send a strong signal that this breach of international law is wrong. People can’t act like this with impunity and that’s why together with allies, we’ve decided to take this action,” he said.
US and UK strikes in Yemen were “necessary, proportionate, and targeted action against military targets to degrade and disrupt Houthi capability,” he added.
Initial indications showed that the strikes were successful, he said, adding that “we’ll continue to monitor the situation.”
CNN
