Britain will deploy Royal Air Force jets to protect Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks, as violence across the Middle East continues to claim lives, including in Yemen and Gaza.
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said RAF Typhoon jets would conduct defensive air patrols over Saudi Arabia to protect cities, civilians and critical infrastructure, reports AP/UNB.
The UK will also send a military transport aircraft and an unspecified number of military advisers, while extending its aerial refuelling support for Saudi aircraft by 90 days. British jets will intercept incoming missiles and drones but will not attack Houthi positions on the ground.
In southern Yemen, the death toll from a Houthi missile strike on a government military training camp in Shabwa province has risen to 73, according to Governor Awad Ibn al-Wazir. The recruits, aged 18 to 20, were targeted at the al-Alam camp, with some still missing a day after Monday’s attack.
In the besieged city of Taiz, a Houthi missile struck a residential area on Tuesday, killing two teenage girls and injuring six others, local authorities said. The UN warned that the siege has left civilians at grave risk, with soaring prices and shortages of food and other necessities. UN human rights chief Volker Türk called for humanitarian aid to enter the city and for civilians wishing to leave to be allowed to do so safely.
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on an apartment in Gaza before dawn killed a husband and wife and wounded others, according to Shifa Hospital. The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas militant. Gaza’s health ministry said more than 1,500 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces since the ceasefire agreed last year.
Separately, a senior Qatari official said Israel’s political leaders were not committed to a negotiated end to the Gaza war. Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, told The Associated Press that there was currently no Israeli partner for peace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also suggested possible further joint action against Iran in a video call with US President Donald Trump, saying the two leaders had a job to finish together.
Meanwhile, Turkey has submitted to parliament a mutual defence agreement signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for ratification. The pact stipulates that an armed attack against one signatory would be treated as an attack against all three and provides for closer military cooperation and intelligence sharing.
