Andy Burnham says UK to provide Saudi Arabia with 'defensive' support
The UK government has announced it will provide air-to-air refueling support to Saudi Arabian fighter jets involved in the conflict in Yemen. Defence Minister Luke Pollard stated the support is for defensive missions against Houthi drone and missile attacks.
Why it matters
This deployment highlights the UK's ongoing military and strategic alliance with Saudi Arabia despite international scrutiny regarding the humanitarian impact of the Yemen conflict.
Image source, NurPhoto via Getty Images Image caption, A single British aircraft, an RAF Voyager, is believed to be involved in the operation.
Britain is set to deploy a military aircraft to help refuel Saudi Arabian fighter jets in the country's conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
The RAF Voyager plane, operating from a UK base in Cyprus, will begin "air-to-air refuelling" operations in the coming days after the UK agreed to a request from Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said.
He added the support was for "purely defensive" Saudi missions and would be time-limited for a "matter of weeks, rather than days".
The Houthis are locked in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
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