British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has said the overnight attack on Yemeni targets by the US and UK was “necessary, legal and right” and warned the Houthi faction responsible for Red Sea attacks that their actions are completely unacceptable.
Speaking in London, the former prime minister said freedom of navigation rights in the Red Sea must be protected and it was right to fire on the bases used as launch pads for the 27 attacks on international shipping since November.
The intervention came as the British government awaits reaction on the ground to the operation.
Officials said attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen were intended as a one-off, with no more expected in the near future.
Sites used by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen were bombed overnight, in a massive retaliatory strike using fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles launched from warships and submarines, officials said. The strikes killed five people and wounded six, the Houthis said.
“There will be no second strike,” a government official said. “It is one strike against them and that’s it. We are going to do nothing to escalate this, this is not the start of a war.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, speaking from Kyiv where he is meeting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the UK needed to send a “strong signal” that Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea were wrong and could not be carried out with “impunity”.
He said the overnight strikes would “degrade and disrupt” the Houthis' capability.
“The types of things that we’ve targeted are launch sites for missiles and for drones. Initial indications are that those strikes have been successful. We’ll continue to monitor the situation,” he said.
“But it’s clear that this type of behaviour can’t be met without a response. 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.”
Downing Street said that the strikes against the Houthis may not immediately make the Red Sea safer for commercial shipping but would have a “positive effect” in the “longer term”.
It rejected criticism that the strikes against the Houthis were not proportionate.
A spokeswoman for the prime minister also rejected claims by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the UK and the US were trying to turn the Red Sea into a “sea of blood”.
“This was limited and targeted strikes in response to aggression,” she said. “We acted in self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.”
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey also dismissed concerns after criticism from Russia, which on Friday requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council concerning the bombing.
“Nobody should see this as part of anything bigger,” he said.
A high-ranking Houthi official, Ali Al Qahoum, vowed there would be retaliation.
“The battle will be bigger … and beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British,” he said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The 27 attacks in the Red Sea have used drones and missiles since November 19 to target vessels in the straits as well as the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Hamas also warned of “repercussions” after the coalition operation.
“We vigorously condemn the flagrant American-British attack on Yemen,” the group said on Telegram on Friday. “We hold them responsible for the repercussions on regional security.”
Lord Ricketts, who served as the UK's first national security adviser, said the strikes against Houthi rebels were “necessary” and “inevitable”.
“The final straw was that very complex and dangerous attack on the naval task force itself a couple of nights ago, I think at that point they couldn't allow this to continue,” he told the BBC.
Germany's Foreign Office on Friday said the overnight bombing was meant to prevent further attacks in the Red Sea, while France blamed the Houthis for the escalation.
“Through these armed actions, the Houthis bear the extremely heavy responsibility for the regional escalation,” the French Foreign Ministry said, urging the rebel group to “immediately end” the attacks.
Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, said on Friday that the US-British action was “based on the right of self-defence, aims to protect free passage and is focused on de-escalation”.
Belgium's Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said the country was working with its partners in the EU and the US to restore security in the Red Sea region and avoid any spillover.
Writing on X, she said: “The ongoing attacks by the Houthis are a real danger for the stability of the region and represent an escalation that benefits no one.”
According to Reuters, Italy had declined to take part in the strikes because Rome preferred to pursue a “calming” policy in the Red Sea.
Shipping company Maersk has said it hopes international interventions and a larger naval presence in the area will eventually lead to maritime commerce resuming through Bab Al Mandeb, the strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Copa del Rey final
Sevilla v Barcelona, Saturday, 11.30pm (UAE), match on Bein Sports
Read more about the coronavirus
More on Quran memorisation:
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
