UK to Send RAF Typhoons to Defend Saudi Arabia Against Houthi Attacks

Britain will send Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to fly defensive missions over Saudi Arabia, helping to protect the kingdom from missile and drone attacks by the Iran backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the government announced on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

The Typhoons will carry out defensive counter-air operations to protect Saudi cities, civilian populations and critical national infrastructure, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said. The jets will intercept missiles and drones in the air. They will not strike Houthi targets on the ground, and they will not operate in Yemeni airspace, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Defensive missions only, ministers say

Streeting told Parliament that he had informed it of the deployment, pointing to what he called an outrageous Houthi escalation in recent weeks and to the bombing of civilian airports that led to hundreds of casualties. "The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable," he said in a statement. "The targeting of the airport in Riyadh in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region."

Britain will also send an Atlas A400M transport aircraft to help move equipment inside Saudi Arabia, along with military advisers to support Saudi staff officers. The air to air refuelling support for Saudi jets that Britain announced last month will be extended for a further 90 days. The government declined to say where the British assets would be based. It is understood they will be based in the Gulf, with some British jets already stationed in Qatar.

Attacks on Riyadh drive the decision

The Houthis have stepped up their attacks over the past month, launching ballistic missiles and drones at key infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including oil facilities and airports, CNN reported. Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has been struck repeatedly in recent weeks. One strike on October 10 killed 13 people and wounded more than 300, making it the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

Saudi Arabia said on Tuesday that it had shot down a missile over the capital, Riyadh, where the airport remains closed. The kingdom has struggled to defend itself against the renewed strikes and has asked regional and western allies for support.

The conflict has been building since July, when the Houthis announced they would target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea and infrastructure inside the kingdom, following a Saudi attack on the Houthi controlled airport in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. France has agreed to deploy defence assets, and more than 100 American military advisers are on the ground in Saudi Arabia under a new joint forces command, CNN reported. Egypt's parliament is debating whether to send support.

London says the aim is still a settlement

The Associated Press reported that Britain stressed there is no military solution to the conflict, even as it expanded its support. Downing Street said the support was considered, proportionate and focused on helping Saudi Arabia defend itself. A spokesman said the UK priority remained protecting civilians and supporting regional security, while creating the conditions for a diplomatic solution.

Streeting said Britain would continue its diplomatic efforts and humanitarian assistance alongside the deployment. He said the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait were among the world's most important maritime trade routes, and that people in Britain were feeling the price of regional instability at the pumps.