The United Kingdom has pledged military assistance to Saudi Arabia as tensions with Yemen's Houthis intensify. The Ministry of Defence announced that it will deploy an RAF Voyager air-to-air refueling aircraft to the region following a request from Riyadh. The aircraft will provide refueling support for Saudi defensive activities in Yemen. This move comes as hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have escalated in recent weeks.
The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has been ongoing for several years, with a relative calm in recent times. However, the Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory, while Riyadh-backed government forces have battled the group inside Yemen. The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, control much of northern Yemen. The UK has previously taken part in strikes against the Houthis, with RAF Typhoons supported by Voyager tankers joining US operations in Yemen in 2024 and 2025.
The UK is not the only country providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia. The US has also provided Riyadh with intelligence and targeting data. US President Donald Trump reportedly considered strikes on the Houthis over the weekend but ultimately held off. The Houthis have made significant gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast, seizing the port of Mokha and strategic islands around Bab el-Mandeb. The group has targeted Saudi-linked shipping and demanded that Riyadh lift its blockade of Yemen before negotiations.
The Bab el-Mandeb strait has become increasingly important due to the disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. US government data show that oil flows through Hormuz fell from 21.6 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 4.9 million bpd in the second quarter of this year. In contrast, volumes through Bab el-Mandeb rose from 5.4 million to 8.1 million bpd over the same period. The disruption around Hormuz has already had an impact on global energy markets.
The renewed fighting in Yemen has raised concerns over another major shipping route. Brent crude surged to nearly $110 a barrel earlier this month after drone attacks forced Saudi Arabia to shut its East-West pipeline, a key route for bypassing Hormuz. The UK is already facing renewed price pressures from the energy shock, with inflation rising to 3.1% in August, driven in part by higher fuel costs. The Bank of England has warned that inflation is likely to rise further over the coming quarters.
The UK has a history of providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia. London has provided military assistance to Saudi Arabia since a Saudi-led coalition first intervened in Yemen in 2015, after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced the internationally recognized government into exile. Large-scale Saudi-Houthi fighting subsided following a UN-brokered truce in 2022, although no permanent settlement was reached.
The UK's decision to deploy an RAF tanker to support Saudi Arabia's defensive activities in Yemen has been made to address growing risks to regional trade and energy supplies. The UK already has personnel and air-defense equipment stationed in the kingdom.
Key points
- The UK will deploy an RAF Voyager air-to-air refueling aircraft to support Saudi Arabia's defensive activities in Yemen.
- The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has escalated in recent weeks, with the Houthis launching missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory.
- The UK has a history of providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia, dating back to 2015.
