UK says RAF Typhoons will fly defensive missions over Saudi cities against Houthi attacks

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LONDON, United Kingdom — RAF Typhoon fighters will fly defensive missions over Saudi cities and infrastructure to intercept Houthi drones and missiles, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Tuesday.

The ministry said the aircraft would fly defensive counter air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities.

It said the jets would not carry out attacks against the Houthis.

Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, said the Typhoons would help protect Saudi airspace from drones and missiles.

“The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable,” Streeting said.

Britain will also extend air-to-air refuelling support for Saudi air operations, the ministry said. It has supplied that refuelling using an RAF Voyager tanker.

An Atlas A400M transport aircraft and military advisers will also be provided, according to the announcement.

The ministry said the Typhoons would operate in a defensive role. It did not set out rules of engagement.

The deployment follows Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on oil facilities and on Riyadh’s main airport.

Houthi forces attacked three Saudi airports between October 6 and October 12, according to reporting by The Associated Press and the BBC: King Khalid in Riyadh, Abha International and King Fahd International in Dammam.

Saudi authorities said at least 12 people were killed and about 300 wounded in an attack on Riyadh International Airport on October 10.

It was the third attack on the airport that week, Saudi authorities said. They blamed the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said the dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one national each of the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.

One man died of his injuries the following day, taking that toll to 13.

A ballistic missile hit the complex housing Terminals 3 and 4 in Riyadh on October 10.

Terminal 4 was struck again on October 11, starting a fire in a passenger hall. One person was killed and 11 were injured.

A Saudia Airbus A320 was destroyed at Riyadh on October 8. The civil aviation authority said three Saudis died, including the aircraft’s pilot.

Saudi Arabia intercepted three ballistic missiles on October 12, one of them aimed at King Khalid, authorities said.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled. Air India, Akasa Air, Lufthansa and Pakistan International Airlines suspended Riyadh services.

The civil aviation authority extended King Khalid’s closure to October 17.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti claimed the attacks for the Houthis, citing Saudi strikes on Yemeni civilian infrastructure.

Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesman, warned airlines on October 12 against using Saudi airports other than those in Makkah and Madinah.

Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, called the October 10 strike a full-fledged war crime and said the coalition would respond.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the energy minister, warned of a serious response on October 11.

Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said he was deeply shocked by the attack and that such strikes must cease immediately.

Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, called the attack a grave escalation. Grundberg has led UN mediation on Yemen since 2021.

US President Donald Trump called the attack terrible and said he would speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump said Washington was weighing whether to join the war against the Houthis.

Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, condemned the attack and said an American was among those killed.

Egypt’s parliament delayed a vote on military support for Saudi Arabia for a second day. A new session was set for October 26.

The Gulf Cooperation Council has condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and pledged support to the kingdom.

Fighting continues inside Yemen between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government, which Saudi Arabia backs.

The Saudi-led coalition has carried out air attacks on Houthi positions, Al Jazeera reported.

Yemen’s government launched its own air strikes on Houthi positions on October 13, Al Jazeera reported.

Saudi-backed government forces attacked Houthi positions near the Red Sea trade route in early October, CNN reported.

A Houthi offensive that began in September has widened. The group took control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including the port city of Mocha.

Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa International Airport on July 13. The Houthis then ended the 2022 UN-brokered truce, imposed a blockade on Saudi Arabia and launched offensives.

On October 15, a missile and drone attack struck the Maashiq presidential palace in Aden, killing at least five people. The government blamed the Houthis.

An attack on a military camp in Shabwa governorate killed at least 53 people on October 19, Al Jazeera reported.

The fighting has driven people from their homes. UNHCR said it had displaced more than 100,000 people on Yemen’s western coast by mid-September.

The World Health Organization’s eastern Mediterranean office reported at least 250,000 people displaced since early August.

UNHCR warned in September that a worsening conflict could push some vessels to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 25 to 30 days to shipping times.

Bab al-Mandab, the strait off Yemen’s south-west coast, carries shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is about 30 kilometres wide at its narrowest point.

Andy Burnham became Britain’s prime minister in July 2026.

The Typhoon is a Eurofighter aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force.