British fighter jets will help shoot down Houthi drones and missiles fired into Saudi Arabia, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said, as the UK extends its military support for the kingdom.
RAF Typhoons will fly defensive missions to help protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure from escalating strikes from the Iran-backed militant group.
This will be limited to a defensive role rather than supporting Saudi strikes against the Houthis, and the jets will not operate in Yemeni airspace, according to the Ministry of Defence.
RAF Typhoons will fly defensive missions (Sgt Nicholas Egan RAF/MoD/Crown Copyright 2026/PA)
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The UK will also send military advisers and an Atlas A400M military transport aircraft to help move equipment within Saudi Arabia.
The move comes after mounting Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia have killed hundreds, with the capital’s King Khalid International Airport repeatedly targeted this month.
Mr Streeting said the UK was acting to protect civilians and bring an end to a conflict that is adding to cost pressures on British households.
The UK was already providing defensive air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets, which has now been extended for a further 90 days.
The Defence Secretary told reporters: “Today I’ve informed Parliament that we’ll be deploying the RAF with Typhoons to mount defensive counter-air activity against what is outrageous Houthi escalation that we’ve seen in recent weeks, in particular, people will bring to mind the bombing of civilian airports that led to hundreds of casualties.
“This is an intolerable escalation, and the United Kingdom is the kind of country that when our allies call for help, we respond.
“People here at home are feeling in their pockets and at the pumps the price of regional instability and conflict in the Middle East, and that’s why the UK is responding to protect civilians and to try and bring an end to this conflict through diplomatic means, ultimately. But in the meantime, we’re here to protect civilians.
Challenged on whether the UK should be supporting Saudi Arabia amid accusations it has murdered journalists and carried out executions, Mr Streeting said the kingdom was “a long-standing ally” and that Britain had a “responsibility to respond” because of attacks on innocent lives there.
He declined to say where UK assets would be based, but it is understood they will be based in the Gulf, with some British jets already stationed in Qatar.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham last month announced that British planes would provide air-to-air refuelling for defensive Saudi air operations, amid fears over the impact of the hostilities on the cost of living and energy supplies in the UK.
The Iran-backed Houthis have secured a stranglehold over the Bab al-Mandab strait, a maritime chokepoint in the Red Sea vital for traffic heading to Europe through the Suez Canal.
In a written statement, Mr Streeting said: “Escalating instability in the region has direct consequences for the United Kingdom.
“The Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait are among the world’s most important maritime trade routes. We cannot allow international shipping to be threatened or held to ransom.”
He also said that alongside its defence engagement, the UK would continue its diplomatic efforts, humanitarian assistance and work to encourage de-escalation and negotiations.
The Iran-aligned Houthis have been locked in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally-recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
Downing Street insisted the announcement did not mean the UK was being dragged into the conflict.
“Our support for Saudi Arabia is considered, proportionate and focused on helping them defend themselves against relentless Houthi attacks,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.
“The UK’s priority remains protecting civilians and supporting regional security, whilst creating the conditions for a diplomatic solution.”
It was in the UK’s “economic and security interests that the Houthis do not succeed”, the spokesman said.