UK to provide Saudi with military air-to-air refuelling support

AFP | London

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Britain has agreed to provide some military support to Saudi Arabia in the face of attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis to support its own "national security", a UK defence minister said yesterday.

A British tanker plane will provide "defensive" air-to-air refuelling for Saudi warplanes to help the country defend against Houthi strikes, the UK government confirmed late Monday. "We're doing it for national security reasons in support of our own national security," UK defence minister Luke Pollard told Sky News.

"In dangerous times, good friends stand together," he added, insisting the support would be in compliance with international humanitarian law.

The use of the RAF Voyager tanker, normally based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, was expected to start within days and will be time-limited, with officials indicating it could last for "weeks".

The mission, which will see the Voyager refuel British-built Typhoon warplanes used by Saudi Arabia, is in addition to the UK Sky Sabre air defence system already deployed by the country.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the new military support late Monday as he travelled to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.