According to multiple British media reports on Sunday (December 31), the UK and the US are developing plans to combat the Yemeni Houthi militants, and the two countries are preparing a joint statement to issue a final warning to the Houthi militants to stop the attack. Previously, the United States claimed that its navy sank three Hussai armed ships, resulting in the death of 10 Hussai armed personnel.
It is reported that the two countries held negotiations on the joint statement on Sunday evening, with the aim of having at least two other countries sign the statement as well. But the report did not disclose specific information about other countries.
An official from the US Department of Defense stated that the US will not disclose its military plans in advance, but does not rule out the possibility of launching air strikes in the near future.
UK Defense Secretary Grant Sharps has warned that the UK government will not hesitate to take "direct action" to prevent further attacks by the Houser armed forces and curb their threat to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
A UK government spokesperson stated: "The situation in the Red Sea is very serious, and attacks by the Houthi armed forces are unacceptable and will disrupt stability. As you expected, although we are planning for a series of situations, we have not made any decisions yet, and we will continue to seek all diplomatic channels. We call on the Houthi armed forces supported by Iran to stop these attacks, and we are working with allies and partners to protect freedom of navigation."
The source pointed out, "The US military has an inherent right to self-defense, and if we decide to take any action against the Housai armed forces, we will do so at a convenient time and place."
According to officials from the US military, Maersk, and Hussai on Sunday, four small boats belonging to the Hussai armed forces attempted to board the "MAERSK HANGZHOU" cargo ship on the same day. Maersk then issued a distress signal to the US military, and American helicopters arrived at the scene and sank three Hussai armed ships, causing the death of personnel on board. The fourth small boat fled the incident area.
Maersk stated that after the attack, it will suspend all navigation in the Red Sea for 48 hours and will engage in close dialogue with relevant authorities to assess the security level in the area.
Terrifying consequences
On Sunday, the spokesperson for the Housai armed forces, Yahya Sareya, confirmed the above situation, claiming that the Housai armed forces were attacked by the US military while carrying out their "maritime mission", resulting in the death of 10 maritime armed personnel. He said that the US military should bear the consequences of this.
He added that the Hussai armed forces carried out this attack because the crew of the ship refused to heed the warning and went to the Palestinian port occupied by Israel, becoming the target of the attack.
Sarea called on other countries not to participate in US actions, as this could have negative consequences and affect everyone.
Sareya also stated in a statement that the Housa armed forces have recently successfully launched military operations against a container ship, firing missiles at it. He reiterated that ships associated with Israel will be prohibited from passing through the Red Sea, while ensuring the normal operation of other maritime navigation.
On Monday, Ali Hussein, one of Yemen's armed leaders and member of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen, warned that the United States would face terrifying consequences if it attacked Yemeni ships in the Red Sea. The purpose of the US attack was to ensure the safety of Israeli ships and their economic and trade activities, so that the latter could continue their aggression in Gaza.
The Yemeni official also warned other countries not to fall into the quagmire of the United States. "The United States is increasingly seeking to drag other countries into this quagmire, and any country that cooperates with the United States to invade Yemen will adopt adventurism in terms of interests, security, and shipping."
Yemen once again stated that its actions are only aimed at ships bound for Israel, and emphasized that its purpose is to exert pressure on the Israeli regime to stop the war in Gaza and allow food and medicine to enter the besieged Palestinian territory.