UK to Send Fighter Jets to Help Defend Saudi Arabia Against Houthi Attacks

Britain has decided to send fighter jets to help protect Saudi Arabia's critical energy and civilian infrastructure from Houthi attacks. The Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday that Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters will be deployed to the Gulf kingdom, stressing that they will be used only in a defensive capacity.

The Iran-backed Houthi militia, based in war-torn Yemen, has been launching ballistic missile strikes on Saudi Arabia for the past few weeks. Earlier this month the group successfully hit three Saudi airports, sharply raising tensions across the region.

British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting called the continuing attacks on Britain's ally “absolutely despicable.” He said the targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to in order to escalate the situation in the region. The attacks earlier this month killed 14 people and injured hundreds more.

Streeting said the fighter jets will be used to protect Saudi airspace from drones and missiles. Alongside the Typhoons, the UK will also send an Atlas A400M aircraft, used to transport the equipment, as well as military advisers.

He added that the deployment builds on the UK equipment and personnel already in the country to defend against Houthi air attacks. In other words, a British military presence in Saudi Arabia already existed; the new decision strengthens it further.

The Ministry of Defence also pointed to a link between the conflict in the Persian Gulf and the situation at home, noting that disrupted energy supplies push up the cost of living in Britain — meaning that defending Saudi installations is tied to the UK's own interests as well.

Since Prime Minister Andy Burnham arrived in Downing Street in July, he has offered more support to Saudi Arabia. In September he agreed to a Saudi request for air-to-air refuelling of the kingdom's jets.

Before that, foreign ministers from 29 countries, including the UK and the US, issued a joint statement condemning violent attacks by Iran and warning that those responsible would be held to account. The fighter-jet announcement comes against that backdrop of Western support for Saudi Arabia.

The announcement again stressed that the Typhoons' role will be purely defensive and that they will take part in no offensive operations. Attention will now be on the Houthis' next move and on how effective Saudi air defences prove to be once the British jets are in place.