Britain has pledged additional military support to Saudi Arabia as fighting with Yemen’s Houthi movement intensifies and concerns grow over the security of vital energy and shipping routes.
The UK Ministry of Defence said an RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft will be sent to the region at Riyadh’s request, providing support for what London describes as Saudi defensive operations in Yemen.
The move comes amid renewed missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory and clashes between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces inside Yemen. Riyadh has reportedly approached several countries for assistance as pressure mounts on its stocks of missile interceptors, while the United States has supplied intelligence and targeting information.
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, have meanwhile expanded their position along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, taking the port of Mokha and strategically important islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The waterway has become increasingly important as disruption in the Strait of Hormuz diverts more energy traffic through the Red Sea route. Oil flows through Hormuz reportedly dropped from 21.6 million barrels per day in late 2025 to 4.9 million in the second quarter of 2026, while volumes passing through Bab el-Mandeb increased from 5.4 million to 8.1 million barrels per day.
The wider instability has contributed to sharp movements in global energy prices, with Brent crude approaching $110 a barrel earlier this month after drone attacks prompted Saudi Arabia to close its East-West pipeline.
Britain already maintains military personnel and air-defence assets in Saudi Arabia and previously deployed RAF Typhoons and Voyager tankers alongside US operations against Houthi targets in 2024 and 2025. UK military assistance to Riyadh stretches back to the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015. Although major Saudi-Houthi hostilities eased following a UN-mediated truce in 2022, a lasting political settlement was never reached, leaving the conflict vulnerable to renewed escalation.
