Houthis would need a ‘lucky strike’ to damage British or US warships using their arsenal of missiles and drones, military experts say after Iran-backed rebels warned the West will ‘pay a high price’ for bombing Yemen

Furious Houthi rebels today vowed that Britain and the US will ‘pay a heavy price’ for bombing their territory in Yemen – but they would have to rely on a ‘lucky strike’ on coalition ships if they want to do real damage military experts have said.

British and US fighter jets and warships launched more than 100 missiles at more than 60 targets in Houthi-held territory in Yemen, with the attacks hitting an airbase, airports and a military camp, marking a dramatic escalation of the war in the Central resulted in the East.

In response, Houthi rebel leaders have vowed to retaliate and warned Britain and the US to “prepare to pay a high price,” saying their response is “beyond the West’s imagination ‘.

Admiral Lord West, the former First Sea Lord, and Charlie Herbert, a former British Army general, told MailOnline that the rebels will only be able to ‘respond with more of the same’ by firing drones and missiles at ships fire.

But they say that in reality it must be so ‘cynical’ about the extent of damage Houthis can inflict on allies and commercial shipping in the region, given the proven capabilities of British and US naval forces in shooting down rebel-fired missiles.

This was illustrated on Tuesday when HMS Diamond and US warships shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by the Houthis in their biggest attack yet, Admiral Lord West said.

However, Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, says there is a chance the rebels will inflict devastating damage and kill dozens of people as a result of a “lucky strike” using anti-ship ballistic missiles on ships in the Red Sea. Sea.

“Houthi attacks would target US and British assets in the region, mainly naval bases, although both countries of course also have static military bases that could be attacked,” Mendoza told MailOnline.

“However, as we have seen this week with the interdiction of Houthi drones and missiles by the British and American naval forces, our capabilities far exceed theirs. However, there is always a chance of damage from a lucky attack, or some other form of naval attack that is not anticipated,” Mendoza said.

Admiral Lord West agrees, saying: ‘Maybe they’ll get lucky and hit one of the ships in the Red Sea. If we had not shot down the rockets on Tuesday, hundreds would have been killed.”

The experts all say the Houthi rebels will now respond by launching more missiles at ships transiting the Red Sea, which could have more devastating consequences for global trade.

Mendoza said: “The biggest threat the Houthis pose remains to shipping passing through one of the world’s crucial trade areas. If they increase activities targeting ships entering the Red Sea, it will have a dramatic effect on global trade, and could also lead to loss of life and environmental disasters.”

Charlie Herbert a former Major General of the British Army who served Afghanistan,
agrees.

“There’s not much the Houthis can do in retaliation except fire more drones at ships transiting the Red Sea or hijack the ships,” Herbert said.

‘They will continue to do more of the same with more attacks. The US and Britain have few options to strike because we cannot let Iran and its allies close commercial shipping lanes.”

William Freer, our Research Fellow in National Security at Geostrategy, said that while there could be a ‘lucky strike’, it is not likely against the Allies’ advanced air defenses.

Freer said: ‘The Houthis have vowed retaliation, they have large stockpiles of drones and missiles to launch more numerous attacks on civilian shipping (although we don’t know how deep), but their weapons are unlikely to be able to overcome the British’s advanced air defenses will overwhelm. and American warships in the region.”

Lord Admiral West said that if the rebels fire more missiles at ships in the region, Britain and the US should launch further attacks on Houthi-run territory in Yemen to destroy their capabilities.

“We need to expand the locations we target,” said Lord Admiral West. ‘It’s a bit tit for tat, they have to realize that what they are doing is wrong. Their grandeur is popular in Yemen, but their attacks are not only against Israel, but also against world shipping.”

Meanwhile, Lord Admiral West said Houthi rebels could decide to launch terror attacks, but their geographical location would make this difficult for them.

It comes as Downing Street today dismissed scathing criticism from Turkey that British and US airstrikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen caused a ‘bloodbath’ in the Red Sea, amid fears the strikes could lead to a wider spread of violence in the Middle East.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan angrily condemned the strikes in a statement this morning, accusing Britain and the US of turning the Red Sea into a “sea of ​​blood”.

But a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak snapped back: “We don’t agree with that. These were limited and targeted attacks in response to aggression.

“We acted in self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter,” she concluded, tight-lipped.

NATO today came to the defense of its members, saying the US-led attacks were aimed at protecting shipping through the Red Sea and urging Iran to “rein in its allies.”

“These attacks were defensive and intended to preserve freedom of navigation on one of the world’s most vital waterways. The Houthi attacks must end,” said Dylan White, a spokesman for the Western military alliance.

Britain and America launched sea and air strikes in response to months of disruptive attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by the Houthis, forcing a coalition of countries including Britain and the US to deploy warships to to protect them.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he believed the attacks would damage the Iranian-backed group’s capabilities.

“We have been working with allies to carry out a series of attacks that, we believe, will degrade and disrupt capabilities – the kinds of things we have been targeting – missile and drone launch sites,” Sunak told reporters at the press conference. a visit to Ukraine.

“The first indications are that those attacks have been successful… Our goal is very clear: to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the region,” he added.

The Houthis have been attacking shipping at the mouth of the Red Sea – one of the world’s busiest trade routes – since October. The move is in support of Hamas terrorists fighting Israeli forces, they say.

More than a dozen locations were bombed overnight by Western forces in attacks that included submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets.

The attacks hit the Al-Dailami air base north of Sanaa, the airport in the port city of Hodeida, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz and an airfield near Hajjah, Al-Masirah news channel said.

Four of Britain’s RAF Typhoons used Paveway IV guided bombs to ‘conduct precision strikes’ on two targets chosen to ‘reduce the Houthis’ ability to violate international law’. They were assisted by an RAF Voyager tanker aircraft.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the airstrikes also targeted sites linked to the Houthi’s unmanned drone, ballistic and cruise missile, coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities.