The British Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that London will deploy fighter planes on “defensive” missions to help Saudi Arabia protect itself in the face of escalating attacks by the Ansar Allah Houthi group in Yemen.
The ministry said in a statement that these missions aim to “contribute to protecting Saudi civilians and vital national infrastructure from air attacks, by mobilizing Typhoon fighter planes belonging to the Royal Air Force,” adding that these planes “will not carry out any offensive strikes against the Houthis.”
According to the statement, “The United Kingdom will provide a British Royal Air Force A400M strategic transport aircraft to support defense equipment transfers within Saudi Arabia, in addition to sending British military advisors to support Saudi officers.”
This comes as the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced that it "intercepted and destroyed" a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh, after the authorities issued a warning of a potential threat, while Agence France-Presse reporters heard two explosions in the capital.
On Monday, the coalition warned the Houthis against using what it described as "traditional maritime means", such as fishing boats, in operations to smuggle weapons, missiles and military equipment to Yemen, saying that these operations "constitute a threat to the security of Yemen as well as regional and international security, and endanger the lives and safety of civilians."
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki called on boats and small ships "not to cooperate with the Houthis in smuggling weapons and military equipment across the sea to the Yemeni coast, in order to preserve their lives and property."
The coalition published a video clip that it said "shows operations to track and target smuggled weapons and boats involved in transporting them to the Yemeni coast for the benefit of the Houthis, through organized crime networks."
Meanwhile, Reuters quoted three parliamentary sources as saying on Tuesday that Türkiye had referred the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, concluded between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to Parliament for approval.
Two of the sources said that Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, who is currently in Kyrgyzstan, will refer the agreement to the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee after his return to Türkiye.
Meanwhile, mutual attacks continue between the Houthis and the Yemeni government forces supported by Saudi Arabia, amid the escalation of confrontations inside Yemen and their spread into Saudi territory.
On Monday, government forces announced the expansion of their military operations against the Houthis, saying that they carried out 1,164 targeting operations within 24 hours, as part of an operation dubbed “Yemen’s Dawn,” using warplanes, drones, artillery, and rocket launchers.
On the other hand, the military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, announced on Monday that the group had launched a series of missile and drone attacks on oil facilities, airports and military sites in Saudi Arabia during the previous 48 hours, noting that it had targeted an Aramco facility in Yanbu, the Shaybah oil field, and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport, while the Saudi authorities did not confirm these attacks.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced that more than 250,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen since August, shortly after the resumption of hostilities.
UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva that the organization is “deeply concerned about the worsening displacement situation in Yemen...” He said that Taiz Governorate in the west of the country constitutes a “source of great concern,” as it is “the main source of displacement, as 76 percent of displacement cases originate from it and it hosts 52 percent of the newly displaced.”
UNHCR says it is providing emergency financial assistance and strengthening its support to provide emergency accommodation, and is also working with its partners to secure shelter and basic supplies for newly displaced families. However, Saltmarsh stressed that “difficulties in accessing the areas in question continue to hamper humanitarian operations and movements,” especially to and from Kharaz camp in Lahj province, which houses about 10,000 people.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile attack targeting Al-Alam camp, designated for training new recruits in the security forces in the Shabwa governorate in the south of the country, on Monday.
Saree said, in a post on the X platform, that the attack targeted what he described as “Saudi concentrations” in the camp, which he said was managed by Saudi officers in areas under the control of government forces.
The local authorities in Shabwa announced, in a preliminary toll reported by the official Yemeni News Agency (Saba) from Aden, that 58 people were killed and more than 200 others were injured, as a result of a ballistic missile attack that targeted new recruits while they were receiving security training.
But a more recent toll reported by the Associated Press from Yemeni officials on Tuesday reported that the death toll had risen to 60 people, most of them new recruits, with at least 12 people still missing.
The local authorities in Shabwa called on the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition to strengthen security measures in the governorate and provide more early warning and air defense systems, while the head of the Yemeni Presidential Command Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, called for taking the necessary measures to respond to the sources of the attack, according to what was reported by Saba Agency.
Video clips that Reuters verified in Shabwa Governorate showed injured people and blood-stained bodies scattered on the ground.
Shabwa is located in south-central Yemen, overlooking the Gulf of Aden, and is considered one of the governorates rich in oil and gas resources, and includes the Balhaf facility for exporting liquefied natural gas.
In light of the military escalation, Saudi Arabia announced the postponement of the tenth session of the “Future Investment Initiative” conference, known as “Davos in the Desert,” to 2027, after it was scheduled to be held in Riyadh between October 26 and 29.
The CEO of the Future Investment Initiative Foundation, Princess Maha bint Mishari bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, said that the postponement decision aims to ensure that the conference is organized at the expected level in terms of the volume of participation, quality of organization and global impact, noting that the new dates will be announced soon.
The conference, which has been held since 2017, is one of the most prominent economic events hosted by the Kingdom, and brings together investors, company heads, and officials from around the world, as part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to attract foreign investments and diversify its economy.
In this context, the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced that the Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, discussed with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in a phone call on Monday, regional developments, including the ongoing Houthi attacks on civilian areas in the Kingdom, and both sides expressed their condemnation of these attacks.
The Elysee Palace announced on Tuesday that Macron had obtained pledges during his tour to supply additional quantities of diesel fuel to France, in an effort to relieve pressure on markets and limit the rise in fuel prices.
