Britain is sending fighter jets to protect Saudi Arabia from the Houthis
The United Kingdom is sending Eurofighter Typhoon fighters to protect Saudi Arabia from missile and drone attacks by the Houthi movement in Yemen. According to London, the aircraft will only carry out missions to protect cities and critical infrastructure, and will not participate in attacks.
Britain is sending fighter jets to protect Saudi Arabia from the Houthis
According to DW, the British Ministry of Defence announced this on October 20. This decision was made at a time when attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Iran-allied Houthis have intensified.
In addition to the fighter jets, Britain will also send an Airbus A400M transport aircraft to transport military equipment. British military advisers will also be sent to the country.
London condemned the Houthis' strikes on civilian targets, including the Riyadh airport. British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting called these attacks actions that escalate the situation in the region.
On October 10, a missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and injured 308 others. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group declared Saudi Arabian airspace a "military operations zone" and urged passenger planes not to use it. Later, the airport was subjected to attacks again.
In early September, the Houthis stated they would expand their military operations in the Middle East and struck four cities in southern Saudi Arabia. More than 70 people were injured in those attacks, and fires broke out at oil facilities. The Saudi side, in turn, launched more than 60 airstrikes on Houthi-controlled provinces of Yemen.
In September, the Houthis also captured the port of Mokha on the Red Sea coast and some islands in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This strait is an important route for world trade and oil shipments.
The group claimed that movement through the Bab al-Mandab was safe for all commercial vessels except Saudi ships. On September 19, the Saudi-led coalition reported that a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh had been intercepted.