France refused to support US-UK strikes on Houthis

UK newspaper The Telegraph reports that France not only refused to take part as the US and the UK hit Houthi targets in Yemen earlier today, but they also refused to sign a statement in support of them.

“Speaking on condition of anonymity, a French official said Paris feared that by joining the US-led strikes, it would have lost any leverage it had in talks to defuse tensions between Hezbollah and Israel,” the report said.

The newspaper says that France joined Italy and Spain in refusing to sign the joint statement, which warned of further action should the Houthis continue their attacks on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The statement was signed by Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea and Bahrain.