UK backs Saudi Arabia with RAF Voyager refuelling support amid Houthi campaign

The UK has stated that it will provide Saudi Arabia with defensive military support, including air-to-air refuelling for Saudi fighter jets, as Riyadh faces a renewed campaign of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.Prime minister Andy Burnham said Saudi Arabia had requested military support and that Britain had agreed to provide an RAF Voyager aircraft to refuel Saudi jets for several weeks.The aircraft is expected to operate from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. British officials described the deployment as “time limited” and said it was intended to help Saudi Arabia defend its energy infrastructure and keep key oil routes open.The move comes as the Houthis have advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and taken control of the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major maritime route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.UK links support to energy securityBurnham said the decision was partly driven by concerns over the…