Britain is preparing to launch airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi militants in response to a wave of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, The Times reported on Sunday. The US and another European country will also take part in the strikes, the newspaper claimed.

London and Washington are expected to release a joint statement later on Sunday, warning the Houthis to immediately cease their attacks or face military action from the West. The message is intended as a “final warning,” a British government source told the newspaper.

Should the Yemeni fighters fail to heed the warning, British and American ships and war planes will launch missiles at “pre-planned” targets in Yemen itself and on the Red Sea, The Times reported, adding that an unnamed “European country” will “possibly” join the operation too.

The Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen’s territory, have attacked dozens of container ships in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October in a bid to drive freight traffic away from the Jewish state and disrupt global supply chains for as long as Israel’s military campaign continues. 

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