UK joins Saudi, Houthi rebels war – Daily Trust

British fighter planes shall be deployed to assist Saudi Arabia defend itself in opposition to growing assaults from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the UK authorities introduced on Tuesday.
The defence ministry mentioned the deployment fashioned a part of “additional defensive military support” to Riyadh.
“The UK will fly defensive counter-air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure against aerial attack, using RAF Typhoon fighter jets,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) mentioned in a press release.
“These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis.”
Britain will even deploy a army transport plane “to support the movement of defence material within Saudi Arabia alongside UK military advisers to support Saudi staff officers”, the assertion added.
“The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable,” mentioned defence minister Wes Streeting.
“The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to (to) escalate the situation in the region,” he added.
The Saudi capital’s worldwide airport has been focused by strikes 20 occasions for the reason that starting of the month, with a latest assault killing 13 individuals and wounding greater than 300.
The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting its tankers, seizing swathes of Yemen’s Red Sea coast important for oil exports and inflicting power costs to leap, whereas additionally raining missiles on the dominion.
Yemen’s civil war – by which Saudi Arabia has led a army coalition supporting the federal government since 2015 – reignited in September after the collapse of a years-long truce.
Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni authorities and the United States accuse Iran of backing the Houthis – an allegation Tehran denies. (AFP)