UK To Deploy RAF Typhoon Jets To Protect Saudi Arabia

The United Kingdom will deploy RAF Typhoon jets to Saudi Arabia to defend against missile and drone attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthis.

U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said on Tuesday that the aircraft will be deployed to the kingdom in a "defense role and will not conduct offensive strikes" against the rebel group.

The U.K. is also sending military advisers and a RAF A400M transport aircraft to transport defense equipment within Saudi Arabia.

The announcement comes as the Houthis have claimed responsibility for two strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on October 10 and 11, which killed 13 people and injured 308 others.

The Houthis are locked in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is backed by Riyadh.

The U.K. has been giving Saudi Arabia defense support equipment against aerial attacks and air-to-air refueling for defensive operations in an arrangement that has been extended by 90 days.

"The Houthis' attempts to destabilize the region and undermine the security and stability of the Middle East are unacceptable," Streeting's statement said.

"This reckless behavior deepens Yemen's already devastating humanitarian crisis, and it is in the U.K.'s national economic and security interest that they do not succeed," the statement added.

This is a developing story. More to follow.