Britain said Tuesday it would deploy fighter jets to protect Saudi Arabia from attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that Royal Air Force Typhoon jets will be used to conduct “defensive air defense missions” to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure.
The Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past month, firing ballistic missiles and drones at key infrastructure such as oil facilities and airports.
Britain is already providing air-to-air refueling support to Saudi Arabia and is sending air defense equipment and British personnel to protect the kingdom, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office told reporters.
The spokesman said the Typhoons would intercept missiles and drones launched against Saudi Arabia and would not launch attacks inside Yemen.
The conflict has escalated since the Houthis announced in July that they would target Saudi ships in the Red Sea and infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia following a Saudi attack on a Houthi-controlled airport in Yemen’s capital Sanaa.
They have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks, repeatedly attacking Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. The attack killed 13 people and injured more than 300, making it the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
Saudi Arabia is seeking military support from regional and Western allies to counter escalating Houthi attacks. France has agreed to deploy defense assets, including military personnel, and more than 100 U.S. military advisers are on the ground providing intelligence and targeting support under the newly established Joint Forces Command.
Pakistan has troops stationed in Saudi Arabia, and Egypt’s parliament is debating whether to send aid after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi convened an emergency meeting to deploy military aid to Saudi Arabia.
“The Houthis’ continued attacks on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable,” British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said in a statement. “The targeting of Riyadh’s airport in particular shows how intent the Houthis are in escalating the situation in the region.”
Last month, Iranian-allied rebels launched a blitzkrieg on Yemen’s west coast, seizing key territory. This includes the Bab al-Mandeb maritime chokepoint in the Red Sea, potentially increasing Tehran’s influence over another trade corridor.
Supported by Saudi warplanes, Yemen’s anti-Houthi ground forces launched a counterattack to regain lost territory. Despite a massive air campaign and large-scale ground attacks, the Houthi rebels maintain control of key positions and continue to fire missiles and drones at their opponents.
At least 53 Yemeni government army recruits were killed by the Houthis in a ballistic missile attack in southeastern Shabwa province on Monday, local officials said. More than 200 other people were reported injured.
The attack was condemned by the US mission to Yemen, calling it a “despicable attack by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia” against Yemenis who “volunteered to protect the security of their community and country.”
This story has been updated with additional developments.
