British fighter jets will help defend Saudi Arabia against attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said on Tuesday, as the UK extended its military support to the kingdom, the Press Association reported.

Source: Press Association via Morningstar / Alliance News

"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 said in a statement carried by AFP. "These aircraft will operate in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis."

Source: AFP via The News International

"The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable. The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region," Streeting said, according to the Press Association.

What Britain is sending

Alongside the Typhoons, the UK will deploy an Atlas A400M military transport aircraft to move defence material within Saudi Arabia and send military advisers to support Saudi staff officers, the MoD said. Britain was already providing defensive air-to-air refuelling for Saudi jets, which has now been extended for a further 90 days, the reporting said.

The deployment follows repeated Houthi strikes on the kingdom. The News, citing AFP, reported that Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has been targeted repeatedly this month, and reported a recent attack killing 13 people and wounding more than 300 — figures Awaaz Punjab is attributing to that reporting and has not independently verified.

Defensive only, says London

The MoD stressed the Typhoons will fly defensive counter-air missions over Saudi Arabia only, will not operate in Yemeni airspace and will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis.

Why it matters for Punjabi readers

Saudi Arabia hosts a large Indian workforce, including lakhs of Punjabis, and its airports are the main gateway home for many of them. A widening air war over the kingdom — and a bigger Western military role in stopping it — directly affects worker safety, flights and the Red Sea shipping route that carries trade to Europe.

What is solid

  • The UK MoD said RAF Typhoons will fly defensive missions over Saudi Arabia, per its statement carried by AFP and PA.
  • The package includes an A400M transport aircraft and military advisers, per the MoD.
  • The jets will not conduct offensive strikes against the Houthis, per the MoD.

What is only claimed

  • The reported toll from a recent airport attack — 13 killed and more than 300 wounded, per The News/AFP reporting — has not been independently verified by Awaaz Punjab.
  • How many Typhoons will deploy, and from when, was not specified in the MoD statement reported on Tuesday.