Red Sea alert as UK ready to strike Yemen

BRITAIN and the United States are drawing up secret plans to bomb sites in Yemen to stop rebel attacks on Red Sea shipping that threaten the world's economy.

- Marco Giannangeli

Most of the world's attention has been on Israel and Gaza but concern is growing over the increasing boldness of Houthi strikes on cargo fleets.

Without the free flow of cargo ships there could be another spike in oil prices, just as inflation in the UK is finally coming down.

Military commanders are now proposing to use US and UK Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles to launch precision attacks on Houthi military bases on the outskirts of Yemen's capital Sanaa.

The strike plans follow three weeks of chaos in the vital maritime gateway to Egypt's Suez Canal.

There, Houthi fighters have hit commercial shipping in the international waters of the Bab alMandab Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Iranian-backed rebels aim to disrupt trade in a bid to force the West to drop support for Israel, as it continues its bitter war against Hamas in Gaza.

Yesterday, an Israeli-affiliated chemical tanker was hit by a drone in the Arabian Sea while on its way to the Suez Canal, causing a fire on board.

Last night, experts questioned Russia's role in the campaign, which is set to raise the price of liquified natural gas bound for the West by sea from Qatar... just as Europe begins to stabilise after Moscow's attempt to leverage its energy supplies.

Britain has raised the temperature by sending a naval contingent led by HMS Diamond into regional waters. It includes frigate HMS Lancaster, three minesweepers and three support vessels.

Last week, Diamond became the first Royal Navy vessel to fire a shot in anger since the Libyan campaign 12 years ago.

The Type 45 destroyer launched a Sea Viper missile to intercept an Iranian drone aimed at a commercial vessel.