The newspaper cited sources as saying that London and Washington are preparing an unprecedented joint statement in the form of a "verbal final warning" to the Houthis that could be issued as early as Monday, adding that talks were underway on Sunday evening on the participation of at least two other actions in action against the movement. But the joint statement is not expected to set out any specific military action, the report said.
Shapps said in an article for The Telegraph that the UK's HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, shot down a Houthi attack drone in the Red Sea in December, adding that "as HMS Diamond illustrated earlier in the month, we are willing to take direct action, and we won’t hesitate to take further action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea."
"The Houthis should be under no misunderstanding: We are committed to holding malign actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks... If the Houthis continue to threaten lives and trade, we will be forced to take the necessary and appropriate action... Those terrorists who are disrupting trade in the Red Sea are drinking in the last chance saloon. Diplomatic efforts have been made to find a resolution but with limited success," the newspaper quoted Shapps as saying.
The newspaper also cited two senior US defense officials as saying that the White House would not "telegraph" its military plans in advance but did not rule out carrying out strikes against the Houthis in the near future.
"US forces have the inherent right to self defence, and if we do decide to take any action against the Houthis, then we will do so at a time and place of our choosing," one of the sources was quoted as saying.
After the armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas escalated in October, Yemen's Ansar Allah rebel movement, also known as the Houthis, has intensified its attacks on cargo ships it believes to be linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, vowing to continue the attacks until Israel ends its military actions in the Gaza Strip.
On December 19, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea, saying that the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain would take part in the mission, although Madrid has not officially confirmed its participation yet. The Houthis vowed to attack any ships that joined the US-led maritime coalition.