Language Settings
Select Website Language

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

UK to Refuel Saudi Jets Fighting Houthi Attacks From Yemen

8 hours ago

9

0

Britain will send an RAF Voyager to Cyprus to refuel Saudi fighter jets in mid-air, backing 'defensive' operations against Iran-backed Houthi attacks.

Britain will send a military aircraft to keep Saudi Arabian fighter jets in the air during the kingdom's fight against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the Royal Air Force would begin "air-to-air refuelling" flights within days, using a single RAF Voyager based in Cyprus after London agreed to a direct request from Riyadh.

Pollard, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, said the mission was strictly for "purely defensive" Saudi operations and would last a "matter of weeks, rather than days". The refuelling, he said, would allow Saudi aircraft to stay aloft longer so they can intercept incoming threats, including shooting down drones and missiles fired from Yemen.

The deployment follows a fresh wave of Houthi strikes. In recent days the group said it had launched drones and ballistic missiles at Riyadh, the Saudi capital, and at energy sites along the country's Red Sea coast. The Houthis remain locked in a civil war against Yemen's internationally recognised government, which Saudi Arabia supports.

Pollard framed the assistance as a matter of loyalty to a partner. The RAF's help, he said, complied fully with international humanitarian law and was about "being true to our allies". Officials have stressed the offer is limited in scope and duration.

A single aircraft from a small fleet

The commitment is modest. Just one Voyager will fly the missions, drawn from a core RAF fleet of nine - eight registered for military use and one civilian-registered. Five further aircraft can be recalled for military service if required. Compared with the scale of the conflict, a lone refuelling plane sits at the lighter end of what counts as military support, and some observers may read it as a symbolic gesture toward an ally under pressure.

Saudi Arabia has struggled to blunt the Houthi campaign. The group appears to hold a deep stock of drones and missiles that it continues to fire across the border at its larger neighbour to the north, leaving Saudi air defences stretched.

Fuel prices and the Red Sea

British ministers tied the decision to economic pressures at home. A UK figure travelling with the government delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York connected the move to the cost of living, saying it was about protecting Britain's interests and stability across the wider region. With Saudi Arabia already absorbing attacks and bracing for more, the argument ran, keeping supply routes open justified agreeing to the request.

Pollard made the same case in economic terms. The RAF support, he said, was meant to prevent further escalation in the Red Sea that could push fuel prices higher. The concern is grounded in recent figures: the Office for National Statistics reported that UK petrol prices climbed in August to their highest level in almost four years, with diesel also rising sharply.

The Red Sea is one of the world's busiest shipping corridors and a critical channel for global trade. The Houthis have tightened their grip on the waterway, recently taking the port city of Mokha and Perim Island, both of which command access to the sea lane that Saudi Arabia relies on.

Risk of deeper involvement

Although officials describe the operation as time-limited, the wider picture is more tangled. Yemen has been at war intermittently since 2014, and the current flare-up is complicated by the Houthis' backing from Iran, which is itself engaged in an on-and-off standoff with the United States.

For Britain, the immediate exposure is small. But conflicts have a way of pulling outside powers in gradually, with commitments that grow over time. A short refuelling mission today could prove harder to end than planned - an outcome that may ultimately serve Saudi interests more than British ones.

UK Saudi Arabia refuelling, RAF Voyager, Houthi attacks, Yemen conflict, Luke Pollard, Red Sea shipping, Saudi jets, air-to-air refuelling

Click here to Read More
Previous Article
2027 Hyundai Tucson Detailed 245 PS Hybrid, Auto-Reverse Tech
Next Article
King Salman Condemns Houthi Attacks Aimed at Mecca

Related Middle East Updates:

Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

Comments (0)

    Leave a comment