RAF Typhoon aircraft took off to conduct further strikes against Houthi targets on Saturday, 3 February. The UK has joined the US for a third time in further strikes in a bid to prevent further attacks on international shipping along a major trade route. Strikes were against Houthi locations in Yemen involved in the campaign targeting the southern Red Sea and the Bab al Mandab, the Ministry of Defence said. Fresh assaults were “not an escalation” but were designed to “protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea, defence secretary Grant Shapps said.