The United Kingdom has decided to send fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to protect the Gulf country against attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen. The announcement was made Tuesday by the Defense Ministry after Houthi attacks on Riyadh and Aramco as Yemen’s civil war intensifies.
The UK said its Typhoon fighter jets will fly defensive missions to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure, while its refueling support also covers strikes on Houthi targets.
Over the past month, the Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia, launching ballistic missiles and drones at key infrastructure, including oil facilities and airports.
The UK is already providing air-to-air refueling support to Saudi Arabia and has deployed air defense equipment and British personnel to help protect the kingdom, a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office told reporters.
The Typhoons will intercept missiles and drones launched against Saudi Arabia and will not conduct offensive strikes inside Yemen, the spokesperson said.
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 inside the kingdom, following a Saudi attack on the Houthi-controlled airport in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
They have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks, launching repeated deadly strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. Latest strike killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, making it the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
Saudi Arabia has looked for military support from regional and Western allies to counter the intensified Houthi attacks. France agreed to deploy defense assets, including military personnel, and more than 100 American military advisers are on the ground providing intelligence and targeting support under a newly established joint forces command.
Pakistan has forces stationed in Saudi Arabia, and the Egyptian parliament is debating whether to send support after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called an emergency session to deploy military assistance to the kingdom.
“The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable,” UK Defense 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. That included the Bab al-Mandeb maritime chokepoint on the Red Sea, potentially expanding Tehran’s influence over another trade corridor.
The goal of the Houthis attacks is to destabilize the region and undermine the security and stability of the Middle East.