British MoD burning through budget to fund Yemen war: Declassified UK
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Declassified UK says that Britain's expensive war on Yemen has only served to strengthen the Middle Eastern country's front.
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A member of the Yemeni Armed Forces positioned in a trench during a live exercise with the Palestinian flag to his left and the Yemeni flag to his right in an undisclosed location in Yemen, in 2023. (Military Media)
British website Declassified UK discussed the high cost borne by Britain as a result of its participation in protecting Israeli ships in the Red Sea and its ongoing aggression on Yemen jointly with the United States.
It reported that what started as a small task for the Royal Navy to protect Israeli ships in the Red Sea turned into months of costly airstrikes, which only served to strengthen the Yemeni front.
Read more: UK deploys HMS Diamond warship in Red Sea
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's war against Yemen has cost the British people up to £19 million (over $24 million) in missile costs alone, according to research conducted by the "Declassified" foundation.
According to the research, up to 53 missiles, some costing over a million pounds each, were fired by the Royal Navy and the British Air Force.
The website noted that the military mission, which was not voted on in the British Parliament, continues to grow despite indications of its failure to achieve its primary objectives.
Read more: Yemen's Ansar Allah test-fired hypersonic missile: Military
It further mentioned that British-affiliated merchant ships have become targets for Yemenis, leading to the catastrophic sinking of the UK-owned bulk cargo ship RUBYMAR.
The investigative site said that the true cost of the aggression on Yemen is currently classified, adding that it will only be published when the Ministry of Defence releases its annual budgets in July.
It pointed out that British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, who previously mocked Sanaa's “absurd claims to be the Robin Hood of Yemen," is forced to finance the war by borrowing funds from other government ministries.
In the dark
CNN reported last month, citing US officials, that President Joe Biden's administration is facing challenges in halting the ongoing operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) in the Red Sea, and that the YAF is persistently reinforcing its weapons stockpile, despite US forces delivering multiple strikes against multiple targets in Yemen.
The report pointed out that US officials are struggling to devise an effective strategy against the YAF, as some within the Biden administration argue that relying solely on the use of force is proving ineffective.
Additionally, it is deemed expensive and impractical to continue launching multimillion-dollar missiles at relatively inexpensive YAF drones and rockets, CNN suggested.
The news website cited several officials as saying that the US lacks a clear assessment of the percentage of YAF equipment destroyed during strikes on Yemen, making it uncertain whether the military approach will undergo further changes.
"We just don’t have a good idea of what they [YAF] still have," a senior defense official told CNN, adding, "They continue to surprise us."
