UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tells Parliament the latest US-UK strikes in Houthis in Yemen were "self defence"
The US and UK hit eight targets overnight, following another set of raids earlier this month
Sunak says the UK and US acted "in line with international law, in self defence, and in response to an immediate threat"
He says there is an "ongoing and imminent threat" from the Houthis
And he also says there is "no link" between the actions in the Red Sea and Israel's war in Gaza
Responding to Sunak, Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer says Labour backs the UK's military action
The UK says the Houthis have launched 12 attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in the past 10 days alone
The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting ships they say are linked to Israel and the West
Iran's foreign minister says the country has warned the US that their strikes in Yemen are a "strategic mistake"
Starmer notes that this was the second set of strikes that the UK has participated in, and that the Houthi attacks have continued since the first.
"It is right that the House [of Commons] hears more about [the air strikes'] effectiveness," he says.
He asks Sunak to "set out his confidence that these strikes will be effective in reducing Houthi capabilities" and to republish the government's legal position on them.
Labour on Houthi strikes: We back this targeted action
Labour leader Keir Starmer is now on his feet, and thanks Rishi Sunak for an advance copy of his speech.
"Let me be clear, we back this targeted action to reinforce maritime security in the Red Sea," he says.
"Houthi attacks must stop, we must stand united and strong."
Sunak now turns to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
He says President Biden shares his concerns over the loss of life in Gaza and that the UK is working to establish new aid routes.
He says he wants the fighting to end as soon as possible and urges Hamas to release all the hostages.
We are also united in the need for a two-state solution, he adds.
Sunak says he spoke with US President Joe Biden last night about the "deep complexities of the current situation", while Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron met his Iranian counterpart last week.
He says the government aims to end the illegal sale of arms to the Houthis and use the means at its disposal - including sanctions - to cut off the group's financial resources.
He adds that it wants to "keep helping the people of Yemen" by continuing to deliver humanitarian aid.
Image source, House of CommonsSunak goes on to say the UK cannot stand by and allow the Houthis' attacks to go unchallenged.
He says "inaction is also a choice".
It was important to update MPs today, he adds, as he promises a full debate on Wednesday.
Sunak says the internationally recognised government of Yemen has also criticised the Houthis.
He says it is keen to see the attacks brought to an end, and he wants to talk about a wider response to the crisis.
Sunak says the Houthis have carried out at least 12 further attacks since the first round of joint air strikes on 11 January.
He says that, since he updated MPs last week, the government has seen "further evidence that [the strikes] were successful in degrading the Houthis' military capability".
He says the strikes last night target two military targets north of Yemeni capital Sanaa.
"I want to be very clear - we are not seeking confrontation," he says.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the Houthis continue to pose an ongoing and immediate threat to commercial shipping and the UK's partners.
He goes onto say he told the House of Commons last week the UK would not hesitate to respond to further threats.
"We acted in line with international law, in self defence, and in response to an immediate threat," he says.
He says the targets were carefully selected.
Rishi Sunak is now up on his feet in the House of Commons, giving an update following the overnight strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
This was the second joint US-UK operation against the group.
On this occasion, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was not informed in advance about the strikes.
Stay with us as we update you on what the PM says.
We're waiting for UK PM Rishi Sunak to give a statement to Parliament at about 12:30 GMT on the overnight air strikes in Yemen.
Stay with us for live updates from the House of Commons in Westminster - you can watch the statement live by clicking the play button above.
Tell MPs if Yemen strikes are ‘continuous' - Commons Speaker
House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle says MPs “must be informed at the earliest opportunity” of any action against the Houthis and must also be told if the strikes are part of “continuous action” in the region.
“Parliament will have a say today… the Prime Minister will be at the House at 12:30 to explain what happened last night and the reason for it and I think that is important," he said.
But the Speaker did not say whether there should be a vote in the Commons to approve further action, saying he wouldn’t speculate until Rishi Sunak spoke “and then we’ll make that judgement call”.
Sir Lindsay also said he had not been told about last night’s strikes in Yemen ahead of time - as he was when the UK launched the first strikes against the Houthis - and instead received a phone call “as the operation was taking place”.
Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent
The UK’s first airstrikes on Houthi targets 12 days ago did not exactly come as a surprise.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had said to “watch this space."
This time was different, most notably with no briefing being offered to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in advance.
This morning he was called in by the government on Privy Council terms (where the Privy Council can be informed about government business on a confidential basis).
There is a little frustration in Labour ranks that this did not take place in advance.
Given there has so far been a fairly firm cross-party consensus on how to deal with the Houthis - and indeed the situation in the Middle East more generally - it may be in Sunak’s interests to consider the question of when and how to brief Starmer, especially if there are more strikes.
But the most important questions for the government are those Sunak will face in Parliament, rather than in private:
How many more strikes is the UK willing to take part in?
Is it enough to degrade the Houthis’ capabilities, or is there any prospect of making them cease their attacks altogether?
What are the risks of a broader regional conflict or what is the UK’s strategy here?
Image source, ReutersMurad Mohammed Ali Mubarak says the Houthi attacks are in response to the "killing of innocent people" in Gaza
We're getting some reaction from Sanaa, Yemen, where people on the street have been speaking to the Reuters news agency.
Saleh Admed Ali says he's not scared by the latest strikes.
"We are steadfast, and support Palestine from within our hearts."
Murad Mohammed Ali Mubarak compared the strikes to a "spray of water for a thirsty person".
"I swear it will not scare us or turn a hair on our heads. They [the US] will see nothing from us but a burning fire and flames, angry and hateful hearts."
Recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have upended a key global shipping lane.
After the 7 October attacks in Israel, the Houthis declared their support for Hamas.
They started firing missiles towards Israel, but given they were launched from more than 1,240 miles (2,000km), they were easily shot down by the US Navy.
But things escalated on 19 November when they hijacked a cargo ship, the Galaxy Leader, in the Red Sea and diverted it to a port in Yemen. The group has since been offering tours of the ship.
To date, the Houthis have attacked more than two dozens vessels in the Red Sea. They say they are targeting ships which are Israeli-owned, flagged or operated, or which are heading to Israeli ports. However, many of the vessels which have been attacked have no connection with Israel.
The Houthis say these attacks are in retaliation for Israel's bombardment of Gaza, and what they say is British and American support for it.
Image source, EPAArmed Yemenis tour the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship
Whilst we continue our coverage of the strikes in Yemen, let's take a moment to look at what's happening in the war in Gaza. As a reminder, the Houthis say their Red Sea attacks are retaliation for the Israeli bombardment there.
Here is the latest from the war:
Image source, EPAThe head of the Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, has posted a statement on X, external, accusing the US and UK of being “the guardian of Israeli destruction” - a reference to “Operation Prosperity Guardian”, the name of their multinational naval coalition in the region.
“It is not possible for America and Britain to be the guardians of prosperity because all parts of the world witness your destruction, or your protection of destruction, as is the case in Gaza, or what you have done in Yemen,” he added.
“Your strikes will only increase the strength and determination of the Yemeni people to confront you, because you are the aggressors against our country.”
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has just arrived at the Cabinet Office for a briefing on the strikes that took place overnight.
It is understood that neither Starmer nor UK Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle were briefed in advance about the new strikes.
The Houthis began attacking merchant vessels in November, saying they were responding to Israel's military operation in Gaza.
However, many of the vessels which have been targeted have no connection with Israel.
US-led naval forces have thwarted many of the attacks. But they have still resulted in major shipping companies stopping using the Red Sea - through which almost 15% of global seaborne trade usually passes - and using a much longer route around southern Africa instead.
Image source, .
Image source, ReutersIran, which arms, trains and supports the Houthis, has responded to the overnight strikes by the UK and US.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran has given "a serious message and warning" to the US that their strikes in Yemen are a "strategic mistake".
"The action that the US and the UK carried out jointly and attacked areas in Yemen is a threat to peace and security in the region and it is the intensification of the scope of the war", the official IRNA news agency quotes Amir-Abdollahian as saying.
Amir-Abdollahian is in New York for a meeting of foreign ministers at the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
Frank Gardner
BBC News, Security Correspondent
This could go on for some time.
The Houthis have a large supply of missiles and drones and they show every sign of continuing their attacks on shipping, undeterred by the eight US-led air strikes to date this year.
The US and UK, backed by a handful of other countries, have little choice but to continue hitting Houthi targets as long as their Red Sea attacks continue. To give up now would be tantamount to ceding control of a crucial global shipping route to a proscribed terror group backed by Iran.
So far, the US-led strikes have been precise and calibrated, designed to degrade the Houthis’ missile supplies and their means to deliver them, while causing minimal human casualties.
That may change. The longer these exchanges drag on, the greater the risk of escalation. The Houthis would like nothing better than to shoot down a Western warplane and parade the captured pilot through the streets of Sana’a.
That seems an unlikely scenario for now but there is a real risk that in due course, Yemeni civilians may die in these retaliatory air strikes. That could ignite a wave of anti-Western anger across the wider Middle East.