The UK announced on Tuesday that its military will fly Typhoon fighter jets over Saudi Arabia on “defensive missions” to help repel attacks from Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, marking an escalation of British involvement in the war.
“The UK will fly defensive counter-air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure against aerial attack, using RAF Typhoon fighter jets,” the British Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The statement said that the RAF Typhoons will “not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis” and added that the UK will also deploy a RAF A400M military transport aircraft to help “support the movement of defense materiel within Saudi Arabia.”
The announcement comes after the UK deployed air defense equipment and military advisors to support the war, which was reignited by Saudi airstrikes on the Sanaa International Airport in July. The UK has also deployed at least one refueling plane to refuel Saudi jets.
The US is also supporting Saudi Arabia’s war with military advisors who are providing intelligence and targeting support, and has also resumed refueling Saudi warplanes, a form of support that was suspended back in 2018 due to pressure from Congress.
The US and British support is backing a brutal bombing campaign, as there have been a significant number of civilian casualties in the Saudi air war since early September, including massacres of children in strikes on civilian homes.
Pakistan and Turkey, Saudi Arabia’s allies under the new Mecca defense pact, have also pledged support for the war, though it’s unclear what form it will take. Egypt has also announced it will deploy military assets to Saudi Arabia, but at this point, it doesn’t appear that any country is willing to join in on direct attacks against Ansar Allah, which could lead to the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait or other potential escalations.
