First UK strikes on Houthis in Yemen under Trump

The UK has launched air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen for the first time since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets, working with the US, hit a "cluster of buildings" used by the Houthis to manufacture attack drones.

Since November 2023, the Houthis - a rebel group in control of much of Yemen - have been carrying out attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which the US has responded to by leading a bombing campaign designed to weaken the group.

Houthi leaders said the UK should "anticipate the consequences of its aggression", according to a statement published by Houthi-run Al Masirah TV.

These are the first RAF air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen approved by Sir Keir Starmer's government – and the first direct UK participation in US-led strikes since Trump was re-elected.

Defence Secretary John Healy said the strikes were successful and carried out to protect British and international shipping.

In a statement, he said all UK personnel and aircraft had returned safely to base.

"A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK," he continued.

The MoD said the strikes were carried out after a drone production facility was identified around 15 miles (24km) south of Yemen's capital Saana.

It said the strikes were carried out using "precision guided bombs" after "very careful planning" to hit targets "with minimal risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure".

They were launched at night "when the likelihood of any civilians being in the area was reduced yet further", the MoD added.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Healy said the government's "initial assessment is that the planned targets were all successfully hit and we've seen no evidence of civilian casualties".

Earlier in the Commons, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to the "professionalism and bravery of all our service men and service women".

The US military has launched hundreds of strikes against Houthi targets in recent weeks - claiming to have killed hundreds of fighters, including leaders of the group and commanders overseeing drone and missile production.

Houthi-run authorities have claimed the strikes have killed dozens of civilians, but have reported few casualties among the group's members.

On Monday, they reported at least 68 African migrants killed in a US air strike on a detention centre in north-western Yemen.

Casualty reports could not be immediately verified, but Al Masirah TV's videos showed first responders recovering the bodies of at least a dozen men.

Since November 2023, the Iran-backed Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They have sunk two vessels, seized a third, and killed four crew members.

The Houthis have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed - often falsely - that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK.

The Houthi authorities said the most recent strikes were in response to "Israel's war and genocide in Gaza".

It added that "no matter the challenges" the group will resist the "trio of evil" - the US, UK and Israel - and their allies.

In March, Trump ordered an intensification of the bombing campaign, and two US aircraft carriers have been deployed to the region.

RAF jets have participated in US-led airstrikes before, but under the last Conservative government and when President Joe Biden was in power.

Earlier this year, an RAF tanker aircraft was deployed to refuel US warplanes.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth recently criticised European countries for what he said was their lack of contribution to efforts to weaken the Houthis.

In a leaked message from a Signal chat with other senior officials, Hegseth referred to Europe as "freeloaders" and called their response "pathetic".