UK to deploy Typhoon jets to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks

The United Kingdom will send RAF Typhoon jets to Saudi Arabia to help defend the kingdom against missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces. Prime Minister Andy Burnham authorised the deployment, which was announced by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting on Tuesday.

Defensive mission amid escalating Houthi strikes

The aircraft will operate purely defensively and won’t conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis, Streeting said in a written statement. The move follows a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, including a missile strike on Riyadh international airport on 10 October that killed 13 people and injured 308. It was the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

But the Houthis have also hit other targets. Saudi authorities said last week that 19 people died in attacks on the kingdom’s airports. The group has struck King Khalid airport, energy facilities and key ports. The Houthis are retaliating for strikes on areas they control in western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

So far, Saudi Arabia has struggled to bring down incoming missiles and drones. Much of its air defence capability was used up against Iranian attacks earlier this year, and the country’s size makes comprehensive coverage difficult. The UK warplanes will help free up Saudi aircraft for offensive operations against the Houthis.

And the UK is also sending military advisers and RAF A400M transport aircraft to support the movement of defence equipment within Saudi Arabia. The UK already provides air-to-air refuelling for defensive Saudi operations, and that support has been extended by 90 days. Streeting said the targeting of Riyadh airport “shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region”. He added: “That’s why today I have approved further UK military support.” The defence secretary also pointed to the violence disrupting energy supplies and increasing costs for families and businesses. Earlier this month, Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree vowed to continue “escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia”.