By Sachin Ravikumar LONDON (Reuters) -Britain is expected to join the United States in conducting air strikes on military positions belonging to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen “within hours”, the political editor for the Times newspaper reported on Thursday. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Downing Street office did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment, while the Pentagon and the White House each declined to comment on the report. The U.S. typically does not comment on potential future military operations. “The Houthis need to stop these attacks … they will bear the conseq…