UK to refuel Saudi jets amid conflict with Yemen's Houthis

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to provide limited military support to Saudi Arabia amid ongoing conflict with Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Royal Air Force (RAF) will offer defensive air-to-air refueling for Saudi aircraft, as announced by Burnham during a trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. The UK has received a request for military assistance from Saudi Arabia, citing the kingdom's need to secure its interests and maintain open oil pathways.

The agreement, expected to begin within days, will be time-limited and possibly last for several weeks. The mission will utilize the RAF's Voyager tanker, in addition to the existing Sky Sabre air defense system already deployed in Saudi Arabia. The UK's support will focus on defending Saudi jets against drone and missile attacks, rather than striking the Iran-backed Houthis directly.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government against the Houthis. However, a truce agreed upon in July 2022 fell apart after the Houthis permitted an Iranian plane to land in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, violating Saudi control over Yemeni airspace. In recent events, a Houthi attack on Riyadh marked the first such assault on the Saudi capital in years, and the Houthis have imposed a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea.

G7 foreign ministers denounced Houthi attacks in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia, urging Iran to cease its support for the rebels, including arming them. The ministers called on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, threats, and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith.