US ship hit by missile in Red Sea as Sunak says air strikes against Houthis were 'self-defence'

No injuries or significant damage were reported following the attack on the container ship.

UK PRIME MINSTER Rishi Sunak has said that air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen were carried out “in self-defence” and that there was “no evidence thus far of civilian causalities”.

Sunak delivered a statement in the House of Commons this afternoon as it emerged that a US-owned and operated container ship was attacked in the Red Sea.

The UK joined the US in targeting Houthi locations in Yemen last week in response to attacks by the militants on international cargo vessells.

The Houthis say their attacks on Red Sea shipping are in solidarity with Gaza, where Iran-backed Hamas militants have been at war with Israel for more than three months.

Around 12% of global trade normally passes through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea entrance between southwest Yemen and Djibouti, but the rebel attacks have affected trade flows.

Speaking in the Commons today, Sunak said the UK’s participation in air strikes “limited not escalatory”.

“I do not take decisions on the use of force lightly. That is why I stress that this action was taken in self-defence. It was limited, not escalatory,” he said.

It was a necessary and proportionate response to a direct threat to UK vessels and therefore to the UK itself.

Sunak added: “The threats to shipping must cease. Illegally detained vessels and crews must be released. And we remain prepared to back our words with actions.”

He told MPs all planned targets had been destroyed in the strikes with no reports of civilian casualties.

“I can tell the House today that our initial assessment is that all 13 planned targets were destroyed. We have seen no evidence thus far of civilian causalities, which we took great care to avoid,” he said.

Sunak also said that he did not bring plans of the UK’s military action to parliament in advance in order to “maximise the security and effectiveness of the operation”.

The UK Prime Minster also rejected the idea the strikes were connected to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

“We shouldn’t fall for their (the Houthis’) malign narrative that this is about Israel and Gaza. They target ships from around the world,” he said.

“And we continue to work towards a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza and to get more aid to civilians. We also continue to support a negotiated settlement in Yemen’s civil war.

“But I want to be very clear that this action is completely unrelated to those issues.

Ahead of Sunak’s speech this afternoon, it emerged that a missile struck a US-owned cargo ship off the coast of Yemen on Monday

In a post on X, United States Central Command said that container ship the M/V Gibraltar Eagle had bee attacked.

“On 15 January at approximately 4 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, a Marshall Islands-flagged, U.S.-owned and operated container ship. The ship has reported no injuries or significant damage and is continuing its journey,” the US authorities said.

PastedImage-99259 The location of today's attack. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations

Despite the UK-US air strikes last Thursday, there has been continued sparring in the Red Sea and off the coast of Yemen.

The US military said yesterday its forces shot down a cruise missile fired at an American destroyer warship from Huthi controlled areas of Yemen. It appeared to be the first such attack on an American destroyer.

Washington last month announced a maritime security initiative, Operation Prosperity Guardian, to protect maritime traffic in the area. But the Houthis have kept up attacks despite several warnings.

Withclashes continuing over the weekend and into, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps refused to rule out British armed forces joining further strikes.

Shapps, asked whether the UK could join another wave of strikes, told Sky News: “If we have to take further action, that is something that we will consider.”

During a later speech in central London, the Cabinet minister said the strike against the Houthis was intended as a “single action” rather than part of a campaign of military attacks.

He said: “We will now monitor very carefully to see what they do next, how they respond and we will see from there.”