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UK Agrees to Refuel Saudi Jets in Yemen Conflict
Confirmed
In Short: Burnham said, 'We have received a request from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for military support, and on the advice of the defence secretary and the foreign secretary, last night I agreed to that request for defensive air-to-air refuelling.' He added, 'We need to keep those pathways open.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that the UK will provide limited military support to Saudi Arabia to help defend against attacks by Yemen's Houthis. Speaking to reporters as he flew to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Burnham said he had agreed to the Royal Air Force providing air-to-air refuelling of Saudi planes.
The support will involve one RAF Voyager refuelling Saudi planes on defensive missions, starting in the coming days. The UK mission will be limited to supporting Saudi aircraft defending the country from drone and missile attacks rather than supporting strikes against the Houthis.
Burnham said, 'We have received a request from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for military support, and on the advice of the defence secretary and the foreign secretary, last night I agreed to that request for defensive air-to-air refuelling.' He added, 'We need to keep those pathways open.
The Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, including one that targeted Riyadh on Saturday before being intercepted. The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government reignited in recent weeks.
Saudi Arabia has asked for support from the UK after the conflict reignited. The UK and Saudi Arabia have been close military allies for decades, with London serving as one of the kingdom’s largest arms suppliers.
The Houthis advanced inside Yemen earlier this month, seizing the crucial port city of Mokha and key Red Sea islands, allowing them to better monitor shipping traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb, through which some 12% of world trade normally passes.
The Saudi-led coalition spokesperson, Turki al-Maliki, said Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted a hostile drone before it entered the restricted airspace on Tuesday evening. Saudi Arabia issued a security alert on Tuesday in the holy city of Mecca for the first time since the Houthis last attempted to target the sacred area in 2017.
The Saudi-led coalition said it will respond “firmly” to Houthi strikes on urban areas that injured 13 people in the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Tuesday. The Houthis have previously denied targeting Mecca, saying that they do not target holy sites.
What's confirmed
- Speaking to reporters as he flew to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, Burnham said he had agreed that the Royal Air Force would provide air-to-air refuelling of Saudi planes.
- The Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, including one that targeted Riyadh on Saturday before being intercepted.
- Burnham said he was “acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region, because of course Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attacks, is looking at potential further disruption, and we need to keep those pathways [for oil] open”.
- UK officials say the latest military agreement will start in the coming days and involve one RAF Voyager refuelling Saudi planes on “defensive” missions.
What's still developing
- U.K. officials had previously declined to comment on “operational matters” but noted that Britain and Saudi Arabia have a close defense partnership.
- The Associated Press reported last week that Saudi Arabia has asked its allies, including France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt to deploy air-defense support to the region to help defend against missiles and drones fired by Houthis and other Iran-backed groups on the kingdom.
- The Houthis also declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, attacking Saudi-linked vessels and oil facilities inside the kingdom, the world’s top oil exporter.
- The U.S., which bombed the Houthis under the Biden and Trump administrations, has shown no interest in getting involved military this time around.
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- Andy Burnham seeks stability in Middle East to bring down prices at home as first meeting with Trump looms Andy Burnham seeks stability in Middle East to bring down prices at home as first meeting with Trump looms The UK has agreed to provide defensive air support to Saudi Arabia to help counter Houthi fighters and restore stability in the Middle East while driving down the cost of living at home, Andy Burnham has said, ahead of his first meeting with Donald Trump.
- In early September, the Iran-aligned group launched missiles and drones at sites across Saudi Arabia, marking a drastic escalation in the fighting.
- In a statement to Yemen’s SABA news agency on Tuesday, a Houthi military source strongly rejected the claim that Houthi forces pose a threat to the city of Mecca or other Islamic holy sites.
- The latest attacks mark a sharp resurgence in a conflict dating to 2015, when Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen after the Houthis seized Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognised government.
- A UN-brokered truce in April 2022 largely halted Houthi attacks on Saudi territory, but hostilities have escalated again since the group declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in July and gained control of critical nodes on the country’s Bab al-Mandeb coastline.