SRINAGAR: Britain will deploy Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets on defensive missions over Saudi Arabia to help protect cities and critical infrastructure from Houthi missile and drone attacks, media reports said, as the conflict in Yemen escalates.
The UK Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that the aircraft would defend Saudi airspace but would not carry out offensive strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis, Reuters reported.
The move follows repeated Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and oil facilities. Saudi authorities also reported intercepting another ballistic missile targeting Riyadh on Tuesday.
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting described the attacks as “absolutely despicable”, saying the targeting of Riyadh airport showed the extent to which the Houthis were prepared to escalate the conflict.
The expanded military support will also include an RAF Atlas A400M transport aircraft to move equipment within Saudi Arabia and British military advisers to assist Saudi officers.
Britain had agreed in September to provide an RAF Voyager aircraft for air-to-air refuelling of Saudi fighter jets. The arrangement will be extended by a further 90 days, the Associated Press reported.
Although the Typhoons will not carry out strikes against Houthi targets, the British defence ministry said its refuelling assistance also supports Saudi operations against Houthi military targets inside Yemen.
The announcement comes amid mounting casualties in Yemen. A Houthi missile strike on a military training camp in the southern province of Shabwa on Monday killed 73 recruits and injured more than 200 others, according to local authorities cited by the Associated Press.
The intensifying conflict has also raised concerns about regional energy supplies and maritime security. The Houthis threaten shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea with routes leading to the Suez Canal.
Britain has maintained that its military assistance is intended to help Saudi Arabia defend itself. London has also reaffirmed its support for a United Nations-led political settlement, maintaining that the conflict cannot be resolved through military means alone.
