Overview
- The government announced on Tuesday that the Royal Air Force will send Typhoon fighter jets, an A400M transport and military advisers to Saudi Arabia to fly defensive counter‑air patrols against Houthi missile and drone attacks.
- Defence Secretary Wes Streeting authorised the deployment and the Ministry of Defence said the Typhoons will operate in a purely defensive role to intercept incoming projectiles and will not conduct offensive strikes or fly in Yemeni airspace.
- The move expands existing UK support that already includes air‑to‑air refuelling from RAF Voyager tankers, with the refuelling mission extended by 90 days to help sustain Saudi defensive operations.
- London cites recent Houthi strikes on civilian sites, including repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, and warns that threats to the Red Sea and Bab al‑Mandeb chokepoint risk disruption to global shipping and UK energy costs.
- UK officials stress the deployment is limited and paired with diplomacy and humanitarian backing, and they underscore that there is no long‑term military solution to the Yemen conflict driven by the Iran‑aligned Houthi campaign.