UK to Provide Defensive Aerial Refueling to Saudi Arabia Amid Houthi Tensions

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has approved limited military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The Royal Air Force (RAF) will offer “defensive” air-to-air refueling for Saudi jets, Burnham announced on Monday while traveling to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The prime minister confirmed that the UK had “received a request” from Riyadh for military assistance.

Burnham stated he was “acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region, as Saudi Arabia faces ongoing attacks and potential further disruption, requiring us to keep these oil supply routes open.”

Details of the UK’s ‘Defensive’ Military Support to Saudi Arabia

UK officials indicated that the agreement is expected to commence within days, featuring a time-limited duration of several “weeks.”

The mission will utilize the RAF’s Voyager tanker aircraft, supplementing the UK’s Sky Sabre air defense system already stationed in Saudi Arabia.

The UK mission will assist Saudi jets in defending against drone and missile strikes, rather than supporting offensive operations against the Iran-backed Houthis, according to the PA news agency.

Why can’t Saudi Arabia stop the Houthis?

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G7 Foreign Ministers Demand Houthis ‘Immediately Cease’ Saudi Strikes

G7 foreign ministers condemned Houthi attacks in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia on Monday, while urging Iran to halt its support, including weapons supplies, to the rebels.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States stated in a joint declaration following their UNGA sidelines meeting.

The statement urged the Houthis to “immediately cease all military actions, threats, and attacks against civilian shipping, and return to the political process in good faith.”

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