Prime Minister Andy Burnham authorised the deployment, which marks the most significant military mission signed off by his government. The RAF Typhoons will fly defensive counter-air missions to intercept Houthi drones and missiles targeting Saudi Arabia, particularly after attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on 10 and 11 October that killed 14 people and injured more than 300, according to the Houthis' own claims.
Streeting said the targeting of the airport "shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region" and approved additional UK military support. "RAF Typhoons will fly defensive air missions to help protect Saudi airspace from drones and missiles. This builds on the UK equipment and personnel we already have in the country to defend against Houthi air attacks," he said in a statement.
The UK will also provide an RAF A400M Atlas transport aircraft to move defence equipment within Saudi Arabia, along with military advisers to support Saudi staff officers. An existing commitment to supply air-to-air refuelling for Saudi fighter jets using an RAF Voyager has been extended by 90 days.
The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen and are aligned with Iran, have vowed to continue escalating operations deep inside Saudi Arabia. Earlier this month, Brig Gen Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, threatened further strikes. The group has been retaliating against a Saudi-led coalition that supports Yemen's internationally recognised government, a conflict that has returned to full-scale fighting amid a wider regional escalation linked to the US-Iran war.
The Ministry of Defence justified the intervention partly on the grounds of economic impact at home. "Escalating violence in the Gulf can have a serious impact at home in the UK — driving up the cost of living, disrupting energy supplies and costs to British businesses," the MoD said, according to a statement reported by CNBC. The Guardian reported that some British officials fear the mission could tie the UK too closely to the unpopular US war with Iran.
Streeting visited US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon days before the announcement, where the two discussed how to respond to the Houthi escalation.