Britain will let the RAF refuel Saudi aircraft as Houthi attacks intensify from Yemen. The limited deployment underlines fears over Red Sea shipping, oil routes and regional stability.
Britain has agreed to provide limited military support to Saudi Arabia as it faces attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday. He said the Royal Air Force will provide air-to-air refuelling for Saudi aircraft for a few weeks, with the arrangement to remain under review.
Speaking to reporters on his way to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Burnham said the move was aimed at protecting British and regional interests amid fears of further disruption to oil routes and shipping. The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has intensified again, with the rebels stepping up missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia.
Burnham said he was “acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region, because of course Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attack, is looking at potential further disruption, and we need to keep those pathways (for oil) open”. UK officials said the agreement will begin in the coming days and will involve one RAF Voyager refuelling Saudi planes on “defensive” missions.
The Houthis have targeted Saudi Arabia with missile and drone attacks, including one aimed at Riyadh on Saturday that was intercepted. They have also declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, and have attacked Saudi-linked vessels and oil facilities inside the kingdom, the world’s top oil exporter.
Earlier this month, the Houthis advanced inside Yemen, capturing the key port city of Mokha and important Red Sea islands. This has allowed them to better monitor shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb, a route through which about 12 per cent of world trade normally passes. Britain has condemned the attacks and said the UK will “work with partners to support regional stability, protect civilians and support humanitarian access”.
UK officials had earlier declined to comment on “operational matters”, while noting that Britain and Saudi Arabia have a close defence partnership. The US, which carried out strikes on the Houthis under the Biden and Trump administrations, has shown no interest in military involvement this time. The Associated Press reported last week that Saudi Arabia had asked allies including France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air-defence support to help counter missiles and drones fired by the Houthis and other Iran-backed groups. Overall, Britain is offering a limited and temporary military role as Saudi Arabia responds to a renewed Houthi threat in Yemen and the wider Red Sea region.
With inputs from PTI
