Rishi Sunak is due to hold a full cabinet call this evening which is thought to be about UK and US military strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The meeting is due to start at 7.45pm tonight.
Attacks by Houthi fighters – both on Israel and on commercial ships in the Red Sea – have stoked fears of a wider conflict in the region already affected by the war in Gaza.
On Tuesday, a British warship shot down seven drones launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in an operation with US forces to repel the largest drone and missile attack to date.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps accused Iran of meddling and declared “enough is enough” – hinting that the UK could be ready to strike.
Concerns are also growing about the global economic impact of the disruption to shipping through the vital Red Sea, with vessels choosing to divert, pushing up the cost of trade and potentially causing inflation to rise.
The Houthis, a group of Shia Islamists based in western Yemen, oppose US and Israeli influence in the Middle East – with its slogan containing the words “death to America”, “death to Israel” and a “curse upon the Jews”.
Why are the Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea
Holding a last-minute evening cabinet meeting is an unusual step.
Sir William Patey, a former ambassador to several countries in the Middel East, told Sky News that Houthi rebels have been warned to stop attacking shipping, but they have continued, and therefore continuing intercept drones is not “in the long term very feasible”.
“I’m sure that the Americans, Brits, and other members of the international coalition will be considering whether there are feasible targets that can be struck in Houthi-run territory of Yemen that are viable.”
It came as the US confirmed a 27th Houthi attack on international shipping since 19 November.
