The United Kingdom has announced plans to deploy Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The UK Ministry of Defence disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the aircraft would carry out defensive counter-air missions to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure.
According to the report, the Houthis have intensified attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past month, targeting strategic facilities, including oil installations and airports.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the UK was already providing air-to-air refuelling support to Saudi Arabia and had deployed air defence equipment and British personnel to help protect the kingdom.
The spokesperson added that the Typhoon jets would intercept missiles and drones launched towards Saudi Arabia but would not carry out offensive strikes inside Yemen.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the continued attacks, describing them as unacceptable and warning that strikes targeting Riyadh’s airport showed the extent of the group’s escalation.
The report said the Houthis had repeatedly targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in recent weeks. One of the reported attacks killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others.
The conflict has also intensified following the Houthis’ reported threats in July to target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea and infrastructure inside the kingdom, after a Saudi attack on an airport in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s internationally recognised government forces, backed by Saudi warplanes, have launched a counter-offensive to recover territory captured by the Houthis along the country’s western coast.
Despite sustained airstrikes and a major ground offensive, the rebels have maintained control over key locations, according to the report.
At least 53 newly recruited government fighters were killed on Monday in a Houthi ballistic missile attack in Shabwa province in southeastern Yemen, local officials said.
The US mission to Yemen condemned the attack, describing it as a strike by the Iran-backed Houthi movement against recruits who had volunteered to protect their communities.
The latest developments underscore growing regional security concerns over the conflict and the threat posed by missile and drone attacks to Saudi Arabia and vital shipping routes in the Red Sea.
