Downing Street and the White House would have hoped one strike would have been enough to send the Houthis an unambiguous message. That clearly hasn’t worked.
The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, “one of the most critical routes for global trade” according to the International Maritime Organisation.
Our policy needs to be joined up, realistic and deliverable. The era of wishful thinking, of hoping that Iran will change, must be confined to history.
Labour’s leader adds that “while we back the action… these strikes still do bring risk, we must avoid escalation across the Middle East”.
The Prime Minister says the US and UK air strikes on Houthi targets were a “necessary and proportionate response to a direct threat to UK vessels”.
Sir Keir will have to work hard to keep his party on the right side of the line. Which will require withdrawing the whip from any Labour MPs who support attacks on our troops.
This week, the Office for National Statistics informed us that the economy grew by 0.3 per cent in November. Not only was that above the 0.2 per cent expansion expected by analysts, but it was a recovery from a 0.3 per cent contraction the previous month.
Fifty years on from Edward Heath, another Conservative Prime Minister faces their premiership being brought even lower by a Middle Eastern energy shock.
We must stand up for the international rules-based order, international law and human rights, otherwise it will have a long-lasting effect on how Britain is viewed globally.
Although support for Netanyahu and his ministers, already unpopular before the war, has dwindled since its start, this has not impacted the nation’s resolve.
As well as a response to the immediate crisis, we need to start planning ahead properly and routinely.
One Labour MP appears to be performing a dedicated Jeremy Corbyn tribute act by mimicking his foreign policy double standards.
It is imperative to grasp the group’s objectives, doctrines, and expansion tactics. Employing a combination of both soft and hard power measures is essential, targeting not only Hezbollah but also its allies and associates globally.