UK to deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi missile and drone attacks

The United Kingdom government said on Tuesday that it will deploy RAF Typhoon jets to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi missile and drone attacks. The move authorised by Prime Minister Andy Burnham will help defend Saudi cities and infrastructure against aerial attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.

“These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis,” Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said in a written statement on Tuesday.

The Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets will fly in “defensive counter-air missions” to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure, the defence ministry said in a statement.

The Typhoons will intercept missiles and drones launched against Saudi Arabia and will not conduct offensive strikes inside Yemen.

Will also deploy military advisers and RAF A400M transport aircraft

Besides, the UK will also deploy military advisers and an RAF A400M transport aircraft to support the movement of defence equipment within Saudi Arabia.

The UK is already providing air-to-air refuelling support to Saudi Arabia and has deployed air defence equipment and British personnel to help protect the kingdom, a Downing Street spokesperson told reporters.

The Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia, launching ballistic missiles and drones at key infrastructure, including oil facilities and airports.

The conflict has been intensifying since the Houthis announced in July that they would target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea as well as infrastructure in the kingdom, following a Saudi attack on the Houthi-controlled airport in the Yemeni capital Sana’a.

‘Continuing Houthis attacks are absolutely despicable,’ says Streeting

They have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks, launching repeated strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. One such strike killed 14 people and wounded more than 300, making it the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

“The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable,” UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said in a statement. “The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region.”

Last month, the Iran-allied rebel group launched a lightning offensive on Yemen’s western coast, capturing key territory, including the Bab al-Mandeb maritime chokepoint on the Red Sea, potentially expanding Iran’s influence over another trade corridor.

Earlier this month. Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree vowed to continue the “escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia”.