Yemenupdated 1h ago2 min read
UK Deploys RAF Typhoon Jets to Defend Saudi Arabia From Houthi Missile And Drone Attacks
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UK to deploy RAF Typhoon jets to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi missiles and drones. Defenders will operate defensively and will not conduct strikes in Yemen.
11 outlets told this the same way.
Typhoons for Saudi Defense
Britain announced it would deploy Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia from missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah. The UK Ministry of Defence said the jets would play a “defensive role” and would not carry out attacks against the Iranian-backed armed group. Britain said it would also send an A400M transport aircraft and advisers, and it extended air-to-air refuelling for Saudi aircraft for another 90 days.
The decision came as Yemen’s civil war escalated after the collapse of a years-long truce in September, with the Houthis carrying out missile and drone attacks against the kingdom and the Saudi-led coalition launching air attacks on Houthi positions. The UK’s move was described as part of a long partnership, with the Al Jazeera report tracing it to a treaty signed during the First World War and a 1915 Treaty of Darin between Sir Percy Cox and King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud.
Wes Streeting Condemns
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the Houthis’ attacks on Saudi Arabia as “absolutely despicable,” and he singled out attacks on Riyadh’s international airport. The UK said the Typhoon jets would protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure from drones and missiles, while operating only in a defensive role and not conducting offensive strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Typhoons would fly defensive counter-air missions over Saudi Arabia, intercepting Houthi drones and missiles but not striking inside Yemen.
The step moved Britain from a September refueling role to direct intercept duty, adding an A400M transport and military advisers. The New York Times reported that Britain’s ministry of defense said the jets would “operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis.”
Escalation and Regional Stakes
Inside Yemen, a Houthi strike on a training camp for Saudi-backed government security forces in southeastern Shabwa province killed at least 53 people, and Reuters put the toll at 58. The US mission to Yemen condemned the strike, while it described Saudi Arabia as seeking allies’ help as interceptor stocks ran low. France sent forces to guard the Yanbu oil terminal, and more than 100 American advisers were working in the kingdom under a newly established joint command providing intelligence and targeting support.
Britain stressed there was “no military solution to the conflict” even as it expanded support to include “defensive” air patrols by Royal Air Force jets. Saudi Arabia postponed its flagship Future Investment Initiative conference, informally known as “Davos in the Desert,” until 2027, with the event originally scheduled for October 26-29.