UK to deploy fighter jets to protect Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks

The UK will deploy RAF Typhoon fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia against escalating Houthi attacks, the British government announced on Tuesday. The aircraft will fly defensive missions to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure from aerial attack. London said it is responding to continuing Houthi strikes on its ally.

What will UK fighter jets do in Saudi Arabia?

RAF Typhoons will fly defensive counter air missions to help protect Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure from aerial attack. The jets will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis. A military transport aircraft will support the movement of defense material within Saudi Arabia, alongside UK military advisers who will support Saudi staff officers.

The defense ministry said the deployment formed part of "additional defensive military support" to Riyadh. "These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis," the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a statement.

Why is the UK sending fighter jets to Saudi Arabia?

Britain says the deployment responds to a sharp rise in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. "The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable," said defense minister Wes Streeting.

"The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to (to) escalate the situation in the region," he added.

The Saudi capital's international airport has been targeted by strikes 20 times since the beginning of the month. A recent attack killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.

What is happening in Yemen's civil war?

The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting its tankers and seizing swathes of Yemen's Red Sea coast vital for oil exports. The moves have caused energy prices to jump, while the group has also rained missiles on the kingdom.

Yemen's civil war reignited in September after the collapse of a years-long truce. Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting the government since 2015.

Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni government and the United States accuse Iran of backing the Houthis. Tehran denies the allegation.