Yemenupdated 14m ago2 min read
United Kingdom Deploys RAF Typhoon Fighters To Defend Saudi Arabia From Houthi Attacks
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
UK to deploy RAF Typhoon jets on defensive missions to protect Saudi cities and infrastructure. Missions are defensive only, not offensive strikes against Houthis, per MOD statements.
11 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Saudi Warplanes Launch 110 Strikes on Sana’a, Yemen Monitor Says, Killing Over 30 →
UK expands Saudi defense
The United Kingdom announced it would strengthen defensive military support to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalated in the region, including RAF Typhoon fighters conducting defensive air sorties to help protect Saudi cities and vital infrastructure from missiles and unmanned aircraft. Wes Streeting said the defensive mission would operate with Typhoon aircraft that would not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis, and the British Ministry of Defence said the sorties would be defensive. The British government said it would also provide an Airbus A400M military transport aircraft to move defensive equipment within Saudi Arabia, alongside military advisers to support the Saudi General Staff.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham authorised the defensive mission, and the BBC said it would defend Saudi cities and infrastructure against aerial attacks by the Iran-backed group. The BBC added that the Houthis said they were behind two strikes on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on 10 and 11 October, with the first killing 13 people and injuring 308 others.
Defensive role, Gulf costs
Wes Streeting told reporters that the targeting of the airport in Riyadh showed the lengths the Houthis were going to escalate the situation in the region, and he said he approved further UK military support. The BBC said the UK would deploy military advisers and an RAF A400M transport aircraft, and it said the refuelling support for defensive Saudi operations had been extended by 90 days. Reuters said the Ministry of Defence stated the aircraft would operate only in a defensive role and would not conduct offensive strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis.
The BBC said Streeting pointed to violence in the Gulf disrupting energy supplies and increasing costs and driving up the costs for families and businesses. The British Ministry of Defence said the UK would fly defensive counter-air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure against aerial attack, using RAF Typhoon fighter jets.
Yemen-linked escalation and risks
The BBC said the Houthis are locked in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, and it said the Houthis had been launching missiles and drones at airports, oil and gas facilities, and military bases in Saudi Arabia. Reuters said the conflict in Yemen had escalated and that inside Yemen, authorities said a Houthi strike on Monday against a training camp for Saudi-backed government security forces killed 58 people. The British Ministry of Defence said the UK affirmed its rejection of attacks that aim to destabilize the region and said they threaten Middle East security and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Bawwabat al-Shuruq said London condemned attacks targeting civilian facilities, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and it affirmed the right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen to defend themselves. The BBC said Brig Gen Yahya Saree vowed to continue the "escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia" earlier this month.