Britain to Send RAF Typhoon Jets to Help Defend Saudi Arabia From Houthi Attacks

Britain will deploy Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia against escalating missile and drone attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the British government said Tuesday, describing the mission as strictly defensive.

"These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis," Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said in a written statement, according to the BBC. The mission was authorized by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

"The UK will fly defensive counter air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure against aerial attack, using RAF Typhoon fighter jets," the Ministry of Defence said, Al Jazeera reported.

What Britain is sending

In addition to the jets, Britain will deploy military advisers and an RAF A400M transport aircraft to move defense equipment within Saudi Arabia, the BBC reported. The United Kingdom was already supplying Saudi Arabia with equipment to defend against aerial attacks and providing air-to-air refueling for defensive Saudi operations. That refueling support has been extended by 90 days.

The BBC noted that while the British aircraft will not strike the Houthis, their presence will free up Saudi Arabia's own aircraft to carry out offensive strikes against the group.

"The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable. The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region," Streeting said, according to Al Jazeera. "That's why today I have approved further UK military support. RAF Typhoons will fly defensive air missions to help protect Saudi airspace from drones and missiles."

Streeting also pointed to violence in the Gulf disrupting energy supplies and raising costs for British families and businesses, the BBC reported. Al Jazeera's correspondent in London said the decision was partly driven by concern over rising energy prices.

The attacks on Saudi Arabia

The Houthis, backed by Iran, have been in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, since ousting it from the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Since September, Saudi Arabia has struggled to defend its airspace after an informal ceasefire in Yemen broke down, according to the BBC.

The Houthis launched a new offensive against the Yemeni government and seized effective control of the Bab al-Mandab strait. Government forces, supported by Saudi air cover, mounted a counteroffensive, and the Houthis responded by striking targets deep inside Saudi territory, including King Khalid airport, energy facilities and key ports, the BBC reported.

Saudi authorities said last week that 19 people had been killed in Houthi attacks on the kingdom's airports. A missile strike on Riyadh's international airport on Oct. 10 killed 13 people and injured 308, the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, according to the BBC.

Earlier this month, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree vowed to continue "escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia."

Regional response

The British announcement came a day after Egypt's parliament delayed, for a second day, a vote on President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's request for authorization to provide military support to Saudi Arabia if the kingdom asks for it, Al Jazeera reported. State media said the session would be held Oct. 26.

Questions about scope

The Guardian described the operation as the most significant military mission approved by Burnham as prime minister. RAF pilots will attempt to shoot down Houthi missiles and drones; the Ministry of Defence did not say how many jets would be sent. The newspaper reported that the death toll from a Houthi missile strike Monday on a Yemeni government training camp had risen to 73.

H.A. Hellyer, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute, questioned how limited the role would remain. "What does defensive mean?" he asked, according to The Guardian, citing the example of a Houthi attack on a Saudi ship in the Red Sea that British jets might be positioned to stop. "The UK might say it was defensive but the Houthis would see it as offensive," he said. Hellyer also said allies would be willing to help the Saudis "but they have not been very good at explaining what they want."

Britain has long been a military ally of Saudi Arabia. BAE Systems has supplied the kingdom with 72 Typhoons in a deal originally worth 4.4 billion pounds, and Riyadh has spent years negotiating to buy 48 more. RAF Typhoons based in Cyprus and Qatar flew defensive missions in the spring and summer to shoot down missiles and drones launched against Gulf states during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, The Guardian reported.

The announcement followed Streeting's visit last week to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, where the two discussed the Houthi escalation. The United States has increased intelligence support and sent more than 100 military advisers to help the Saudis with targeting but has been cautious about more direct involvement, according to The Guardian.