UK to deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks

The United Kingdom said Tuesday it will deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The UK will fly “defensive counter-air missions” using Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure, the defense ministry said in a statement.

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 Downing Street spokesperson 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 Sana’a.

They have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks, launching repeated strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. One such strike killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, making it the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

“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, including the Bab al-Mandeb maritime chokepoint on the Red Sea, potentially expanding Tehran’s influence over another trade corridor.

Backed by Saudi warplanes, Yemen’s anti-Houthi governmental ground forces have launched a counter-offensive to recapture lost territory. Despite a heavy airstrike campaign and a large ground offensive, Houthi rebels have remained in control over key locations, and continued launching missiles and drones on their adversaries.

At least 53 newly recruited Yemeni governmental forces were killed in a ballistic missile attack by the Houthis on the southeastern Shabwa province Monday, local officials said.

The attack was condemned by the US mission to Yemen which called it a “cowardly attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia” on Yemenis who had “volunteered to keep their communities and country safe.”