British intelligence identified Houthi drone factory ahead of joint US and UK strike

Attack on Yemen first by British jets since Donald Trump intensified Red Sea campaign

Flames rise after US air strikes on Sanaa, Yemen, on April 28. EPA

British intelligence identified a Houthi anti-ship drone making factory late on Tuesday night, the UK's defence secretary said in a statement to parliament.

The RAF conducted a joint military operation with the US in Yemen against the Houthis, in their first involvement in the new intense phase of the American campaign targeting the Iran-backed group.

Defence Secretary John Healey told parliament that “our intelligence analysis” had identified a cluster of buildings 15 miles (24km) south of the capital Sanaa used by the Houthis “to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships”.

RAF Typhoon fighter-bombers used a number of 225 kilogramme Paveway IV precision-guided bombs to destroy the factory site and that no civilians were killed in the strike, he confirmed.

It is understood that the information was gathered by sources on the ground, as well as satellite and drone surveillance alongside signals intelligence and American input.

The development comes at a time when intelligence co-operation has been under scrutiny. Mr Healey was asked about the UK’s confidence in US intelligence security given the Signal social media leaks by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. “We handle secure communications in secure ways, and we do that consistently”, he replied.

The UK conducted strikes, alongside the US, against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen when the Biden administration began a campaign in January 2024, but until this week had not been involved.

Mr Healey, who was accompanied in parliament by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, added that with two aircraft carriers in the region the Americans were doing the “lion's share of the responsibility for protecting international freedom of navigation in the Red Sea”.

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House the US attacks on Yemen have been relentless, which Mr Healey highlighted had led to the 69 per cent drop in missiles launched against ships and a 55 per cent drop in suicide drones.

He also stated that there had been more than 320 Houthi attacks on shipping since November 2023 that had led to a “drastic fall” of 55 per cent in cargo going through the Suez Canal.

The joint US-UK mission came a day after the Houthis said 68 people were killed after a detention centre for African migrants was struck.

Recent US strikes have killed scores of people in Yemen, including 74 at an oil terminal earlier this month in the deadliest strike so far.

Human rights groups and the United Nations have raised concerns about the killing of civilians during the Trump administration's intense bombardment of the war-battered country.

The US has struck more than 1,000 targets in Yemen since mid-March “killing Houthi fighters and leaders … and degrading their capabilities,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Tuesday in reference to attacks carried out since March 15.

The United States Central Command had on Sunday said more than 800 targets had been hit since mid-March, saying hundreds of Houthi fighters had been killed as a result.

Attacks by the Houthis have prevented cargo ships from passing through the Suez Canal, a route that normally carries about 12 per cent of the world's shipping traffic.

The rebels say they are targeting shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel's military response to the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.