The UK joined the US for a third time in conducting a wave of airstrikes on Houthi targets in a bid to prevent further attacks on international shipping along a major trade route. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the fresh assaults were “not an escalation”, but instead were designed to “protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s were supported by Voyager tankers during the joint mission on Saturday with Washington, as they targeted locations in Yemen used by the Houthis, an Iran-backed mili…