Britain backs US plan for bombing mission on Houthi Red Sea bases

With three US warships now in the Red Sea, alongside the British Type-45 destroyer HMS Diamond, a formidable western arsenal is on hand. So far, they have played a defensive role but that could soon change, said Sidharth Kaushal of the Rusi think tank. “The coalition can continue without achieving the strategic effect intended, so there has to be some mechanism to compel the Houthis to cease firing and that’s likely to be a punitive strike,” he said. “It's not a certainty but I think it's becoming more probable by the day.”