UK's PM defends bombing of Yemen

United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has defended his decision to send aircraft to bomb targets in Yemen without offering lawmakers the chance to debate the idea.

In a statement to the UK's House of Commons on Monday, he said his priority was to act quickly alongside the United States in taking out militia infrastructure that had been used to attack ships in the Red Sea.

Ahead of the statement, he told reporters the UK wanted to "deescalate tensions in the region and actually restore stability back to the area".

"It's right that we took proportionate, targeted action against military targets, to send a strong message that that behavior is unacceptable," he said.

Sunak said the strikes on Thursday night followed "exhaustive diplomatic activity "and came as a "last resort".

But he faced criticism from some lawmakers for acting without the blessing of Parliament.

The Liberal Democrats, a party in the UK Parliament that has previously formed coalition governments with the ruling Conservative Party, said it wanted a new law in place compelling prime ministers to consult lawmakers before ordering military strikes.

Earlier, Grant Shapps, the UK's defense minister, told the BBC Houthi militia had repeatedly attacked international shipping and had not responded to demands to stop.

He said Sunak's decision to approve airstrikes against 16 Houthi sites was a necessary and proportionate response that sent a "very clear message that you can't have thugs disrupting international shipping in that way".

China is deeply concerned about escalating tension in the Red Sea, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Cairo on Sunday.

The waters of the Red Sea are an important artery for international cargo and for the energy industry and China calls for a stop to harassment and attacks of civilian vessels in the region, Wang said at a joint news conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

At the same time, Wang noted that the United Nations Security Council has not authorized any country to use force against Yemen, adding that a further escalation of tension should be avoided.

Tension in the Red Sea is a manifestation of spillover from the conflict in Gaza, and top priority should be given to ending that conflict as soon as possible, Wang said.

David Cameron, the UK's foreign minister, also defended Sunak's decision to act without consulting lawmakers, saying on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: "I don't think it would have been right to have a debate and a vote before this sort of action because I think it is important for reasons of operational security, to … take the action and then have a statement in Parliament afterwards."

The UK has said it suspects Iran of being behind the Houthi strikes on ships in the Red Sea, a claim Iran has denied. The Houthis, who control the north of Yemen and its capital Sanaa, have said they only target vessels with links to Israel, and that they do so to signal solidarity with people in Gaza embroiled in a conflict with Israel.

Despite the attacks, the Houthi's chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdulsalam, told Reuters the organization will continue to attack some vessels.

"Attacks to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of the occupied Palestine will continue," he said.

Wang Qingyun in Beijing contributed to the story.