Britain will fly Typhoon jets on defensive missions over Saudi Arabia. It ruled out strikes against the Houthis.
Britain will deploy Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to fly defensive missions over Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Defence announced Tuesday, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels step up missile and drone attacks on the kingdom. The ministry said the aircraft will help defend Saudi cities and critical infrastructure from aerial attack and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis. It did not say how many jets will be sent, Newsweek reported.
The ministry said Britain will also provide an RAF A400M transport aircraft to move defense materiel within Saudi Arabia, along with military advisers to support Saudi staff officers. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting called the Houthi attacks despicable and an intolerable escalation. He cited the bombing of civilian airports that caused hundreds of casualties. He said the move builds on British equipment and personnel already in the kingdom, according to CNBC.
The Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in July and have since launched growing numbers of attacks on Saudi cities and shipping, Euronews reported. A Houthi strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport earlier this month killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation. Reports this month also described an attack on a Saudi Aramco facility. The Saudi-led coalition, formed in 2015 to back Yemen’s internationally recognized government, has reported more Houthi missile attacks in recent weeks.
Britain has already supplied Saudi Arabia with equipment against aerial attacks and air-to-air refueling for defensive operations, Newsweek reported, in an arrangement that was extended by 90 days. The new deployment follows British defensive patrols over Qatar, Jordan and other partners since the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in March. In the reports reviewed, there was no response from the Houthis.
Aurax News compiled this report from information provided by Euronews, CNBC and Newsweek.