Britain sends Typhoon jets to defend Saudi Arabia against the Houthis

Britain is sending Royal Air Force Typhoon jets to Saudi Arabia to defend it against missile and drone attacks by the Houthis, allies of the Islamic Republic. UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting confirmed the new military assistance and called the Houthi attacks "utterly abhorrent".

According to the British Ministry of Defence, the Typhoons will fly defensive air missions to protect Saudi airspace against drones and missiles and to shield the country's cities and critical infrastructure. London is also sending military advisers and an A400M Atlas transport aircraft to move equipment to Saudi Arabia. The number of jets and where they will be based have not been announced.

The attack on Riyadh airport and the widening war

Streeting said the Houthis' targeting of Riyadh airport shows how far the group is willing to go to escalate the crisis. In recent weeks the Houthis have carried out wide-ranging attacks on Saudi cities and facilities, including a missile strike on the al-Alam camp in Shabwa, Yemen, which local officials say left at least 53 dead, and a wave of attacks that forced Saudi Arabia to postpone the FII investment conference to 2027.

The decision builds on earlier British assistance. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced last month that British aircraft were carrying out "defensive" air refuelling for Saudi fighter jets. Other British equipment and personnel had already been deployed for air defence in Saudi Arabia.

The IRGC's role in the Houthi attacks

The Houthis control the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea's vital passage for shipping to Europe via the Suez Canal. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is accused of sending drone parts and missile guidance systems to Yemen on Mahan flights and of directing the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The deployment of British jets shows that the war the Islamic Republic has dragged regional countries into through its proxy forces is now drawing in European powers more directly as well.

To curb the attacks of the Houthis, allies of the Islamic Republic, Britain is sending Typhoon jets into Saudi skies.