British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has warned Iran against further inciting Houthi rebels in Yemen to attack merchant ships.
Britain turned to Iran with a demand
The head of the British Ministry of Defence called on Iran to force the organisations and groups it supports, from the Houthis to Hezbollah in Lebanon, "to stop their illegal actions, because we, the world, are running out of patience."
Iran has an important role to play here (in ship attacks. — Ed.) and it needs to understand that it needs to let its many proxy groups in the region know that nothing good will come of it and everyone will lose if they continue to do so way," he added.
Shapps declined to say whether Britain would launch another strike against the Houthis in Yemen, but stressed that he hoped for an understanding that "there is a line that has indeed been crossed".
You can't have bandits who essentially prey on international shipping and pose a lot of risk. (In this case. — Ed.) the deaths of absolutely innocent people, completely unrelated to what is happening in the conflict between Israel and Gaza, is only a matter of time, he believes.
What is known about the attack on Houthi targets in Yemen
It will be recalled that on the night of January 12, the USA, in coordination with Great Britain and with the support of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain, launched joint strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. This came after the Houthis carried out the most massive attack using missiles and drones on a ship in the Red Sea.
In Britain, it was reported that four of its RAF Typhoon FGR4 fighters, supported by a Voyager refueling aircraft, used Paveway IV guided bombs to strike two Houthi targets.
According to CNN , as of 2021, Iran provided the rebel group with weapons and technology for, among other things, sea mines, ballistic and cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Also, according to the coalition, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah is helping the Houthis.
The Houthis claim that they are not controlled by Iran, but are "fighting a corrupt system."
