New Delhi: Britain will provide defensive air-to-air refuelling support to Saudi Arabia after Riyadh sought military assistance amid renewed Houthi missile and drone attacks from Yemen. A Royal Air Force Voyager is expected to operate from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus in the coming days, supporting Saudi aircraft intercepting incoming threats.
The British prime minister, Andy Burnham, said he agreed to the Saudi request on the advice of the defence secretary, Wes Streeting, and the foreign secretary, Ed Miliband. UK officials said the mission would initially last for weeks and remain defensive, rather than involve British participation in offensive strikes inside Yemen.
The decision comes as the Iran backed Houthis intensify attacks on Saudi territory while expanding their position in south-western Yemen. The group says it has targeted Riyadh and energy sites along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast with drones and ballistic missiles. The Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday that it intercepted a missile aimed at Riyadh and thwarted attacks on Yanbu, Taif, Baysh and Farasan. Houthi claims of damage to oil facilities remain unverified.
Inside Yemen, Houthi fighters are pressing towards strategic high ground in the Kahboub mountains across Taiz and Lahij provinces after seizing Mokha and Perim Island near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. As RNA Media reported earlier, fighting has centred around Al-Wazi’iyah and Ras al-Ara, with Saudi-backed government forces trying to prevent gains that could strengthen Houthi leverage over routes linking the Red Sea coast with Aden.
Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes while seeking wider support. Pakistan has reiterated its commitment to Saudi security. The military spokesman, Lieutenant General, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, said Pakistani forces were already present in the kingdom under existing arrangements, but Islamabad has announced no new combat deployment against the Houthis. Pakistan has also maintained contacts with Iran aimed at de-escalation.
Turkiye has condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with Riyadh. The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said Ankara could meet Saudi “technical” military requirements, but no new Turkish deployment has been announced.
As RNA Media reported earlier, the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye on August 7 treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all three. Its public text does not prescribe an identical military response.
Group of seven foreign ministers on Monday called on Iran to stop arming and supporting the Houthis. Tehran says the movement makes its own operational decisions.
The US president, Donald Trump, made no pledge of military support during a September 20 call with Yemen’s president, Rashad al-Alimi, Reuters reported. Reuters also said it could not verify a report that planned US strikes against the Houthis had been cancelled.