The UK has stated that it will provide Saudi Arabia with defensive military support, including air-to-air refuelling for Saudi fighter jets, as Riyadh faces a renewed campaign of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.Prime minister Andy Burnham said Saudi Arabia had requested military support and that Britain had agreed to provide an RAF Voyager aircraft to refuel Saudi jets for several weeks.The aircraft is expected to operate from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. British officials described the deployment as “time limited” and said it was intended to help Saudi Arabia defend its energy infrastructure and keep key oil routes open.The move comes as the Houthis have advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and taken control of the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major maritime route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
UK links support to energy security
Burnham said the decision was partly driven by concerns over the impact of the conflict on energy supplies and the cost of living in Britain.“I go back to the point I made about cost-of-living pressures and acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region,” Burnham told reporters from BBC.Saudi Arabia has faced a series of Houthi attacks in recent days, including missile and drone strikes targeting Riyadh and energy infrastructure along the Red Sea coast. The attacks have raised concerns over further disruption to Saudi oil exports.The UK already provides air-defence support to Saudi Arabia, including the deployment of the Sky Sabre system. The new refuelling mission will allow Saudi aircraft to remain airborne for longer while responding to incoming threats.
Britain stops short of direct strikes
The deployment is significantly more limited than Britain’s previous military action against the Houthis.In January 2024, the UK joined the US in carrying out airstrikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen after the group attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Further British-American strikes followed later that year.This time, the UK has framed its involvement as defensive support rather than direct attacks on Houthi positions.The announcement also comes as Burnham prepares for his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump at the UN. Burnham said he would urge Trump to work towards ending the war in Iran, arguing that the conflict and the wider instability in the Middle East were contributing to economic pressure in Britain.The UK government is also concerned about the wider consequences of the fighting for global energy and shipping routes. The Bab al-Mandab Strait has become a new flashpoint after the Houthis’ recent advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted.Burnham said Britain wanted to see the conflict end as quickly as possible and was ready to work with its allies to reduce the wider instability.
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