Alex Wickham
@alexwickham
EXCLUSIVE: The UK’s Royal Air Force will fly defensive missions to protect Saudi Arabia from escalating Houthi attacks, according to British officials familiar with the matter
RAF Typhoon fighter jets will help defend Saudi cities and infrastructure against aerial attacks from the Iran-backed militant group, the people said. Andy Burnham has signed off on the decision
Britain will also provide an Atlas A400M transport aircraft with heavy lift capability to move kit around Saudi, as well as military advisers
The decision marks an extension of UK support for Saudi in the wake of Houthi attacks which have killed more than a dozen people in Riyadh. There have been multiple attacks on the kingdom in recent days