London is bombing where even Trump didn't dare: British fighter jets defend Saudi Arabia against the Houthis

The United Kingdom is deploying Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to protect the country's cities, population and critical infrastructure from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting announced this in a written statement to parliament according to Sky News. The British jets will perform only defensive duties: "The Royal Air Force's Typhoons are conducting defensive air operations over Saudi Arabia, contributing to the protection of Saudi cities, the civilian population and critical national infrastructure against Houthi attacks. These aircraft are operating in a defensive role and will not conduct offensive operations against the Houthis," Streeting wrote. Alongside the fighter jets, an Atlas A400M military transport aircraft will also be deployed, carrying Saudi equipment and military advisers. The deployment of the Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft, which services Saudi air force jets, will be extended by a further 90 days.

The decision marks a significant expansion of Britain's role. In September, London had sent only a single Voyager refuelling aircraft at Saudi request, with then-Defence Secretary Luke Pollard describing it as a time-limited commitment "of weeks, not days." That was new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first major foreign policy decision, and a British military expert at the time called it merely a "marginal increase in capability." Now, however, British pilots are directly involved in Saudi Arabia's air defence. Streeting clearly condemned the Houthi attacks and voiced support for the right of Saudi Arabia and Yemen's internationally recognised government to self-defence. He also stated that the United Kingdom would not accept shipping being threatened or blocked in the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which is crucial for trade between Europe and Asia. According to the minister, the deployment also helps create the conditions for a political settlement of the conflict.

The British move is all the more striking because Washington had turned down the same ally just weeks earlier. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Donald Trump twice in a single day: first to inform him of the Houthi advance toward the port city of Mocha, and second to ask the United States to strike the Houthis. Trump rejected the request, as he wanted to focus on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz and did not want to open a new front. Washington offered only intelligence support and the backing of the roughly two hundred American troops already stationed in Saudi Arabia. By the next day, the Houthis had seized Mocha, followed by the island of Perim in the middle of the strait, bringing the entire Bab-el-Mandeb area under their control. Trump then boasted that the Houthis themselves had called him: "They called us and let us know they don't want to fight us. They don't want me to attack them." He added that the Houthis would let most ships through, and that there was "one country they're not too happy with," but that he would "take care of it." The same week, the Houthis attacked Saudi oil facilities, and in Taif, the wreckage of a downed drone killed one person and wounded two others.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has not turned only to London. During his Gulf tour in March, Volodymyr Zelensky signed an air defence agreement with the Saudi leadership, under which Ukraine will share its experience gained in fighting Shahed drones, as well as artificial intelligence and data analysis, and offer cheaper interceptors instead of expensive missiles. "We are ready to share our expertise and systems with Saudi Arabia," Zelensky said at the time. The Gulf monarchies are thus increasingly seeking elsewhere the security they once expected from Washington. Trump, who demands to know what Ukraine has given America in return, has now left yet another old ally to fend for itself, with the United Kingdom and Ukraine stepping in to help with their own fighter jets and their own battlefield experience.

Ugar