UK to refuel Saudi jets to help counter Houthi attacks

The United Kingdom has agreed to provide limited military assistance to Saudi Arabia by offering air-to-air refuelling for Saudi aircraft, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said as he traveled to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Burnham said the decision followed a formal request from Riyadh and recommendations from the defence and foreign secretaries. He described the refuelling support as "defensive," saying it is intended to help Saudi jets defend against drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement, rather than to support strikes against Houthi targets. UK officials told the PA news agency the mission will involve a single RAF Voyager and is expected to begin in the coming days. The arrangement is described as time-limited and will be reviewed. The move comes after a recent escalation in the Yemen conflict: the Houthis have carried out missile and drone strikes on Saudi territory — including an attack on Riyadh that was intercepted — and have advanced inside Yemen, seizing the port city of Mocha and several Red Sea islands. Control of those positions gives the group an improved ability to monitor shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb, a vital chokepoint responsible for about 12% of global trade under normal conditions. The UK and Saudi Arabia have longstanding military ties, with London among Riyadh’s biggest arms suppliers. Earlier this year the UK deployed its Sky Sabre air defence system to Saudi Arabia to help protect against Iranian missile threats linked to the wider regional tensions involving the United States and Israel’s conflict with Iran.