Military intervention in Yemen is justifiable – for now

Editorial: The West’s action against the Houthi rebels may help put paid to the Iran-backed militia’s proxy war but a wider peace in the Middle East cannot be reached through the narrow straits at the mouth of the Red Sea – only by a rapid de-escalation of the conflict in Gaza

(Dave Brown)

The prime minister says that the American and British strikes against Houthi weapons bases in Yemen are “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence”. He is right about that – and, realistically, the world cannot and should not accept that any entity, either a state or terrorist-controlled territory, can attack and kidnap civilian or military vessels moving lawfully through the Red Sea.

Importantly, that principle has been endorsed in a UN Security Council resolution, with Russia and China, the usual suspects, this time choosing to abstain rather than veto it. Given also that the actions have been taken in reasonable self-defence – HMS Diamond came under lethal attack recently, and a container vessel was captured and taken by the Houthis – the retaliation by the allies was also plainly an act of self-defence.

For those reasons, there should be no question about the sound legal basis for what the US and UK did, with minimal casualties.