LONDON: British fighter planes shall be deployed to assist Saudi Arabia defend itself in opposition to increasing attacks from Houthi rebels, the UK authorities introduced on Tuesday (Oct 20).
“The UK will fly defensive counter air missions to assist the safety of Saudi cities and significant nationwide infrastructure in opposition to aerial assault, utilizing RAF Hurricane fighter jets,” the defence ministry mentioned in an announcement.
These plane will function in a defensive position and won’t conduct offensive strikes in opposition to the Houthis, it mentioned.
The UK will even present an RAF A400M navy transport plane to maneuver defence materiel inside Saudi Arabia, and ship navy advisers to assist Saudi employees officers.
“The persevering with assaults from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are completely despicable,” British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting mentioned.
“The concentrating on of the airport in Riyadh particularly reveals the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the state of affairs within the area.
“That’s why right this moment I’ve accepted additional UK navy assist. RAF Typhoons will fly defensive air missions to assist defend Saudi airspace from drones and missiles.”
The deployment comes amid escalating Houthi assaults within the area, together with on civilian targets akin to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Britain mentioned Saudi Arabia and Yemen had the appropriate to defend themselves in opposition to the assaults.
The newest deployment builds on present British defensive navy assist for Saudi Arabia, together with air defence gear designed to guard in opposition to missiles and drones.
