UK to deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Mostafa Salem, Tim Lister, CNN

(CNN) — The United Kingdom said Tuesday it will deploy fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia against attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The UK will fly “defensive counter-air missions” using Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to protect Saudi cities and critical infrastructure, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Over the past month, the Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia, launching ballistic missiles and drones at key infrastructure, including oil facilities and airports.

The UK is already providing air-to-air refueling support to Saudi Arabia and has deployed air defense equipment and British personnel to help protect the kingdom, a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office told reporters.

The Typhoons will intercept missiles and drones launched against Saudi Arabia and will not conduct offensive strikes inside Yemen, the spokesperson said.

The conflict has been intensifying since the Houthis announced in July that they would target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea as well as infrastructure inside the kingdom, following a Saudi attack on the Houthi-controlled airport in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

They have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks, launching repeated strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. One such strike killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, making it the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

Saudi Arabia has looked for military support from regional and Western allies to counter the intensified Houthi attacks. France agreed to deploy defense assets, including military personnel, and more than 100 American military advisers are on the ground providing intelligence and targeting support under a newly established joint forces command.

Pakistan has forces stationed in Saudi Arabia, and the Egyptian parliament is debating whether to send support after President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called an emergency session to deploy military assistance to the kingdom.

“The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable,” UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said in a statement. “The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region.”

Last month, the Iran-allied rebel group launched a lightning offensive on Yemen’s western coast, capturing key territory. That included the Bab al-Mandeb maritime chokepoint on the Red Sea, potentially expanding Tehran’s influence over another trade corridor.

Backed by Saudi warplanes, Yemen’s anti-Houthi government ground forces have launched a counteroffensive to recapture lost territory. Despite a heavy airstrike campaign and a large ground offensive, Houthi rebels have retained control over key locations and have continued launching missiles and drones at their adversaries.

At least 53 newly recruited Yemeni government forces were killed by the Houthis in a ballistic missile attack Monday on the southeastern Shabwa province, local officials said. More than 200 others were reported wounded.

The attack was condemned by the US mission to Yemen, which called it a “cowardly attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia” on Yemenis who had “volunteered to keep their communities and country safe.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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James Frater contributed reporting