UK to provide Saudi with military air-to-air refueling support

LONDON

Britain has agreed to provide some military support to Saudi Arabia in the face of attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis to support its own “national security,” a U.K. defense minister said on Sept. 22.

A British tanker plane will provide “defensive” air-to-air refueling for Saudi warplanes to help the country defend against Houthi strikes, the U.K. government confirmed late on Sept. 21.

The show of solidarity follows a Saudi request for military support after the Houthis increased drone and missile attacks on it in recent weeks alongside a lightning offensive to capture Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

A Houthi attack on Riyadh on Sept. 19 was the first to target the Saudi capital in years and a major escalation.

“We’re doing it for national security reasons in support of our own national security,” UK Defense Minister Luke Pollard told Sky News.

“In dangerous times, good friends stand together,” he added, insisting the support would be in compliance with international humanitarian law.

The use of the RAF Voyager tanker, normally based at RAF Akrotiri in Greek Cyprus, was expected to start within days and will be time-limited, with officials indicating it could last for “weeks.”

The mission, which will see the Voyager refuel British-built Typhoon warplanes used by Saudi Arabia, is in addition to the U.K. Sky Sabre air defense system already deployed by the country.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the new military support late on Sept. 21 as he travelled to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. He will meet with the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan at an event on the sidelines of the talks.