UK to provide limited defensive air-to-air refuelling support to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has agreed to give limited military support to Saudi Arabia as the Middle Eastern kingdom continues to face attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) will provide "defensive" air-to-air refuelling for Saudi aircraft, Burham told reporters on Monday as he travelled to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The prime minister said that the UK had "received a request" from Saudi Arabia for military support.

The British leader said he was "acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region, because of course Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attack, is looking at potential further disruption, and we need to keep those pathways [for oil] open."

What do we know about the UK's 'defensive' military support to Saudi Arabia?

Reports cited UK officials as saying that the agreement, which is likely to start within days, will be time-capped and could last for "weeks".

The mission would involve the use of the RAF's Voyager tanker and is in addition to the UK Sky Sabre air defence system which is already deployed in Saudi Arabia.

The UK mission will support Saudi jets in defending the country from drone and missile attacks rather than supporting strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis, the PA news agency reported.

Escalating tensions between Houthis and Saudi Arabia

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognized government in its fight against the Houthis.

In July this year, a 2022 truce between the rebels and Saudi Arabia crumbled after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen's capital Sanaa, which defied the Saudis' control over Yemeni airspace.

On Saturday, a Houthi attack on Riyadh was the first to target the Saudi capital in years.

The Houthis have also declared a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — a crucial global shipping route — and the Red Sea.

Apart from Saudi-linked vessels, oil facilities inside Saudi Arabia — one of the world's top oil exporters — have also come under fire from Houthi drones and missiles.

G7 foreign ministers call on Houthis to 'immediately cease' Saudi strikes

The foreign ministers of G7 nations on Monday denounced Houthi attacks in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia while urging Iran to end its support, including arming, of the rebels,

"We condemn in ‌the strongest terms the unacceptable continued strikes carried out by ‌the Houthis in Yemen ‌and against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States said in a joint statement, after meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA.

The statement called on the Houthis to "immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith."

Edited by: Rana Taha