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Lord Cameron has not ruled out the possibility of further strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, arguing the UK must do “what is necessary” to protect its ships.

Speaking to NBC, Sky News’s sister outlet in the United States, the foreign secretary said “warnings” issued to the rebels – who had been attacking UK and US ships in the Red Sea – had not been “working”.

On Thursday night the UK and US launched air strikes against a number of military facilities used by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, receiving non-operational support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.

The UK government has described the strikes as an act of “self defence” after branding the attacks on commercial ships as “unacceptable”.

Follow live: US and UK ‘trying to turn Red Sea into sea of blood’

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Houthi target hit by RAF in Yemen

But asked whether there was a risk that the UK could get pulled into launching repeated further strikes, the foreign secretary said: “We will do what is necessary to protect our ships to protect maritime freedom of navigation on important maritime pathways.”

He added: “But be clear what we were doing – warning – was not working.

“The number of attacks was increasing the severity of those attacks was increasing. This escalation has been caused by the Houthis. And this action is in response to that to send a very clear message that if you act in this way, there aren’t just warnings there are consequences.”

On Friday the prime minister’s official spokesperson said there were currently “no further plans” to launch strikes to restore the shipping lanes, but that the UK keeps its security “under review”.

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What happened in Yemen airstrikes?

The UK and US launched the action – which killed five people – after Houthi rebels attacked a series of commercial ships, beginning in November.

The Iranian-backed group of Shia Islamists, who are based in western Yemen, ignored repeated warnings to stop targeting ships in the Red Sea.

Map of Middle East

Tensions were inflamed further this week after after a British warship, in an operation with US forces, shot down seven drones launched by Houthis to repel the largest drone and missile attack to date.

The Houthis have claimed the attacks are aimed at ending the air and ground offensive in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October.

Politics latest: PM urged to give MPs retrospective vote on Yemen airstrikes

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Minister: Houthi strikes ‘self-defence’

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said four Royal Air Force jets struck two Houthi facilities that had been involved in the targeting of HMS Diamond and US Navy vessels on Tuesday.

One facility was a site at Bani and the other was the Abbs airfield, which is used to launch drones and cruise missiles.

The US Air Force said it struck more than 60 targets at 16 sites in Yemen.

While France and Germany have offered their backing to the move, Turkey has argued that the action against the Houthi rebels was not “proportional”.

Its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accused the US and UK of trying to turn the Red Sea into a “sea of blood”.

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Houthis vow ‘punishment’ for attacks

Lord Cameron dismissed those criticisms, saying he believed the joint action with the US was “proportionate” and “legal”.

“It was absolutely right to do,” he added. “And I think it sends a very clear message to the Houthis – but also to Iran as well.”

Read more:
Who are the Houthis?
Analysis: Strikes draw UK and US closer to confrontation with Iran

Rishi Sunak is expected to make a statement to MPs on Monday about the military strikes against the Houthis following criticism that MPs were not consulted on the plans.

The Liberal Democrats have called for a retrospective vote on the military action in the Red Sea and called for MPs to be recalled to parliament before Monday, with foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran saying: “Parliament should not be bypassed.

“We remain very concerned about the Houthis’ attacks. But that makes it all the more important to ensure that MPs are not silenced on the important issue of military action.”

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Vietnam has passed a sweeping digital technology law that legalizes crypto assets and outlines incentives for AI, semiconductors, and infrastructure.

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A scrambled G7 agenda as world leaders scramble to de-escalate the Israel-Iran conflict

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A scrambled G7 agenda as world leaders scramble to de-escalate the Israel-Iran conflict

The return on Donald Trump to the G7 was always going to be unpredictable. That it is happening against the backdrop of an escalating conflict in the Middle East makes it even more so.

Expectations had already been low, with the Canadian hosts cautioning against the normal joint communique at the end of the summit, mindful that this group of leaders would struggle to find consensus.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney carefully laid down an agenda that was uncontroversial in a bid to avoid any blow-ups between President Trump and allies, who of late have been divided like never before – be it over tariffs and trade, Russia and Ukraine, or, more recently Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

But discussions around critical minerals and global supply chains will undoubtedly drop down the agenda as leaders convene at a precarious moment. Keir Starmer, on his way over to Canada for a bi-lateral meeting in Ottawa with PM Carney before travelling onto the G7 summit in Kananaskis, underscored the gravity of the situation as he again spoke of de-escalation, while also confirmed that the UK was deploying more British fighter jets to the region amid threats from Tehran that it will attack UK bases if London helps defend Israel against airstrikes.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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Canadian PM Mark Carney is greeted by President Donald Trump at the White House in May. Pic: AP

Really this is a G7 agenda scrambled as world leaders scramble to de-escalate the worst fighting between Tel Aviv and Tehran in decades. President Trump has for months been urging Israel not to strike Iran as he worked towards a diplomatic deal to halt uranium enrichment. Further talks had been due on Sunday – but are now not expected to go ahead.

All eyes will be on Trump in the coming days, to see if the US – Israel’s closest ally – will call on Israel to rein in its assault. The US has so far not participated in any joint attacks with Tel Aviv, but is moving warships and other military assets to the Middle East.

Sir Keir, who has managed to strike the first trade deal with Trump, will want to leverage his “good relationship” with the US leader at the G7 to press for de-escalation in the Middle East, while he also hopes to use the summit to further discuss the further the interests of Ukraine with Trump and raise again the prospects of Russian sanctions.

More on G7 Summit

“We’ve got President Zelenskyy coming so that provides a good opportunity for us to discuss again as a group,” the PM told me on the flight over to Canada. “My long-standing view is, we need to get Russia to the table for an unconditional ceasefire. That’s not been really straightforward. But we do need to be clear about what we need to get to the table and that if that doesn’t happen, sanctions will undoubtedly be part of the discussion at the G7.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (right) is greeted by Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney as he arrives at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (R) is greeted by Mark Carney as he arrives in Ottawa ahead of the G7

But that the leaders are not planning for a joint communique – a document outlining what the leaders have agreed – tells you a lot. When they last gathered with Trump in Canada for the G7 back in 2018, the US president rather spectacularly fell out with Justin Trudeau when the former Canadian president threatened to retaliate against US tariffs and refused to sign the G7 agreement.

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Since then, Trump has spoken of his desire to turn Canada into the 51st state of the US, a suggestion that helped catapult the Liberal Party beyond their Conservative rivals and back into power in the recent Canadian elections, as Mark Carney stood on a ticket of confronting Trump’s aggression.

With so much disagreement between the US and allies, it is hard to see where progress might be made over the next couple of days. But what these leaders will agree on is the need to take down the temperature in the Middle East and for all the unpredictability around these relationships, what is certain is a sense of urgency around Iran and Israel that could find these increasingly disparate allies on common ground.

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