Britain to give limited military support to Saudi Arabia to defend against Houthi rebels

Britain has agreed to provide limited military support to Saudi Arabia to defend against attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. According to BBC News, the support will include defensive air-to-air refuelling, with a single British aircraft, a Voyager, to be based out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. This is in response to a request from Saudi Arabia, which has faced drone and ballistic missile attacks on its capital Riyadh and energy sites on its Red Sea coast.

The UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, said he agreed to the request on the advice of Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. The support is described as time-limited, likely to last for weeks, and will aid Saudi air force jets in shooting down incoming Houthi missiles and drones. Britain and Saudi Arabia have been close military allies for decades, with Britain serving as one of the kingdom's largest arms suppliers.

The Houthis are locked in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. The United Nations has condemned ongoing cross-border Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including attempts to target Riyadh and strikes on civilians and energy infrastructure, reports Ajel English.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBC News, BBC News, South China Morning Post, Ajel English — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.