British fighter jets will help defend Saudi Arabia against “absolutely despicable” attacks from Houthi rebels, defence secretary Wes Streeting has said.
The UK will fly defensive counter air missions using RAF Typhoon fighter jets to support the protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure from aerial attacks. These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis, the Ministry of Defence confirmed on Tuesday.
The UK will also send military advisers and an Atlas A400M military transport aircraft to help move equipment.
An MoD source said the Houthis’ “attempts to destabilise the region and undermine the security and stability of the Middle East are unacceptable”, adding: “This reckless behaviour deepens Yemen’s already devastating humanitarian crisis, and it is in the UK’s national economic and security interest that they do not succeed.”
Mr Streeting said the “continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable”, adding: “The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region.”
“That’s why today I have approved further UK military support”, he said. “ RAF Typhoons will fly defensive air missions to help protect Saudi airspace from drones and missiles. This builds on the UK equipment and personnel we already have in the country to defend against Houthi air attacks.”
It comes after Houthi rebels launched an attack on Riyadh airport that killed at least 13 people and wounded over 300.
Part of a broader sequence of Houthi strikes hitting Saudi airports since last week, the incident has exposed vulnerabilities in the kingdom's defence structure while signalling a dangerous turn in an expanding Middle East conflict that began more than seven months ago when the US and Israel launched their war against Iran.
The Iran-backed Houthis have secured a stranglehold over the Bab al-Mandab strait, a maritime chokepoint on the Red Sea vital for traffic heading to Europe through the Suez Canal.
The Saudis have been targeting the Houthis, while the Yemeni group has been firing missiles at the oil-rich kingdom.
Prime minister Andy Burnham last month announced that British planes would provide “defensive” air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets, condemning the “appalling attacks” on the airport and telling the Commons the UK will “continue to stand with Saudi Arabia”.
Speaking last week as Parliament returned from recess, Mr Burnham said he spoke with President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in New York about the situation in the Middle East.
“I confirmed Britain’s decision to send air defence and a Voyager aircraft to Saudi Arabia to provide air-to-air refuelling support,” he said. “I can confirm today it has already completed 14 operational missions. This support is needed to protect civilians.
“I condemn the appalling attacks on the King Khalid International Airport. We will continue to stand with Saudi Arabia against the Houthis.”
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 on Tuesday.
“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.
