PRISTINA: Attacks on cargo vessels in Red Sea shipping lanes have to stop otherwise international action will be taken, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Thursday.
Recent attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have drawn international condemnation, with Britain, the United States and others issuing a joint statement on Wednesday warning that there would be consequences to any further attacks.
Houthis have since October attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea. They say the vessels have Israeli links or are sailing to Israel and they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
"This is illegal. It's not to do with Gaza, it's not to do with Israel. This is about the freedom of navigation. This is about the ability of ships to carry their cargo," he told reporters during a trip to Kosovo.
"The world economy, every economy, will suffer if ships keep coming under attack in this illegal and unacceptable way. And these attacks need to stop or actions will be taken."
When asked, Cameron declined to specify what action Britain would take or whether it would send more Navy ships to the region. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has previously said Britain is willing to take "direct action".
UK foreign minister Cameron: Red Sea attacks must stop
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UK foreign minister Cameron: Red Sea attacks must stop
- “This is illegal. It’s not to do with Gaza, it’s not to do with Israel. This is about the freedom of navigation,” Cameron said
Israel army ‘temporarily suspends’ strike on south Lebanon
- The Israeli military issued a warning earlier on Saturday announcing an imminent strike and warning people in the Yanuh area of south Lebanon to evacuate immediately
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said it would “temporarily” suspend a strike planned for Saturday that was intended to target what it described as Hezbollah military infrastructure in southern Lebanon.
A November 2024 ceasefire sought to end over a year of fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, which broke out after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
But Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite the truce, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure to stop the group from rearming.
The Israeli military issued a warning earlier on Saturday announcing an imminent strike and warning people in the Yanuh area of south Lebanon to evacuate immediately.
But later Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said “the strike was temporarily suspended,” adding that the military “continues to monitor the target.”
The suspension came after the Lebanese army “requested access again to the specified site... and to address the breach of the agreement,” he said on X.
Adraee added that the military would “not allow” Hezbollah to “redeploy or rearm.”
The year-old ceasefire monitoring mechanism includes the United Nations, the United States and France.
A Lebanese security source said the army had previously tried to search the building that the Israeli military wanted to target but could not because of objections from residents.
But the source told AFP that the Lebanese army was able to enter and search the building after returning a second time, because residents “felt threatened,” adding that they were evacuated over fears of a strike.
