Under the plans, the UK would join with the US and possibly another European country to unleash a salvo of missiles against preplanned targets, either in the sea or in Yemen itself, British newspaper The Times reported.
A government source said the coordinated strikes could involve Royal Air Force (RAF) warplanes for the first time or the HMS Diamond destroyer.
The daily reported that the UK and US are expected to release an “unprecedented statement” that will “warn the Houthis to stop attacking commercial vessels or face the military might of the West”.
Early on Sunday, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian about Houthi attacks in the Red Sea which Cameron said “threaten innocent lives and the global economy”.
Separately, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps stated on Sunday that Houthi attacks on international shipping in and around the Red Sea had increased by 500%.
“This is unacceptable as it damages world trade by illegally blocking Freedom of Navigation at Sea. These attacks must therefore stop,” he wrote on X.
Later, he added the Houthis “must end their illegal campaign against merchant shipping and stop all violent attacks immediately.”
Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.
The relentless Israeli military campaign against Gaza has killed nearly 22,000 people, most of them women and children. Another 57,000 individuals have been wounded.
Yemeni forces have also launched missile and drone attacks on targets in the Israeli-occupied territories after the regime’s aggression on Gaza.
The Red Sea is one of the world’s most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments. Reports revealed that Israeli shipping companies have already decided to reroute their vessels in fear of attacks by Yemeni forces.
