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15-01-2024
LONDON: The British government yesterday published a summary of its legal advice, which said its decision to strike Houthi military targets in Yemen was justified under international law.
“The UK is permitted under international law to use force in such circumstances where acting in self-defence is the only feasible means to deal with an actual or imminent armed attack and where the force used is necessary and proportionate,” the document said.
The document was titled ‘Summary of the UK Government Legal Position: The legality of UK military action to target Houthi facilities in Yemen’ and was published on the government website.
The British government will notify the United Nations Security Council of the actions it has taken, it added.
Earlier, Russia said the attack on Yemen took place without any mandate from the United Nations and was thus an illegal “adventure” by the United States and its allies.
American and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen against Houthi forces in retaliation for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed fighters cast as a response to the war in Gaza.
Witnesses confirmed explosions at military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen’s third city Taiz, a naval base at Yemen’s main Red Sea port Hodeidah and military sites in the coastal Hajjah governorate.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation,” US President Joe Biden said.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said the strikes in the early hours of Friday had targeted the Houthis’ ability to store, launch and guide missiles or drones.
The Pentagon said the US-British assault reduced the Houthis’ capacity to launch attacks, especially complex operations such as those they carried out earlier in the week.
The US military said 60 targets in 28 locations had been hit, using more than 150 munitions.
“I know we have degraded (their) capability,” US Lieutenant General Douglas Sims told a media briefing. “I don’t believe that they would be able to execute the same way they did the other day but we will see.”
The Houthis, who have controlled most of Yemen for nearly a decade, said fire fighters were killed in 73 air strikes. They vowed to retaliate and continue their attacks on shipping, which they say are intended to support Palestinians against Israel. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
