Overview
- The UK Ministry of Defence announced Tuesday that Royal Air Force Typhoon jets will fly defensive counter‑air missions over Saudi airspace to help intercept missiles and drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi movement.
- London is also sending an Airbus A400M transport to move defence materiel and British military advisers to support Saudi staff officers as part of the package.
- Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and the MoD emphasised the Typhoons will not carry out offensive strikes and will not operate in Yemeni airspace, and the UK has extended its air‑to‑air refuelling mission by 90 days.
- Officials linked the move to a recent spike in Houthi long‑range attacks that struck Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and Saudi energy sites and to Houthi advances on Yemen’s Red Sea coast that threaten the Bab al‑Mandeb shipping lane.
- The deployment builds on long UK‑Saudi military ties and increases international backing for Riyadh while the government says it will continue diplomatic efforts and humanitarian support to address the worsening crisis in Yemen.