UK deploys RAF tanker to refuel Saudi jets amid Houthi attacks

Britain will deploy an RAF tanker to refuel Saudi warplanes amid renewed Houthi attacks on the kingdom, as an escalating battle for strategic territory in Yemen threatens to further destabilise the Red Sea region.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he approved a Saudi request for "defensive air-to-air refuelling", with a single RAF Voyager expected to begin operating from Britain's RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus in the coming days.

The deployment is expected to last several weeks initially, although Burnham said it would be kept under review.

British officials said the mission would be limited to refuelling Saudi aircraft involved in defending the kingdom against Houthi missile and drone attacks, rather than supporting Saudi strikes inside Yemen.

The move nevertheless expands Britain's military involvement alongside Saudi Arabia at a time when fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces has intensified dramatically.

Earlier this year, the UK deployed its Sky Sabre air defence system to Saudi Arabia to help protect the kingdom against Iranian missile attacks.

Burnham linked the latest deployment to regional stability and Britain's economic interests, saying disruption to major energy routes needed to be prevented as turmoil across the region puts pressure on global energy supplies.

The British deployment comes after the Houthis made sweeping gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast, including the capture of the strategic port city of Mocha and territory around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Battle for strategic heights

Fighting has since shifted towards the Kahboub Mountains, a range of strategic heights spanning parts of Taiz and Lahj provinces and separating the Red Sea coast from areas of southern Yemen held by forces aligned with the internationally recognised government.

Five Yemeni military sources told Reuters that the Houthis were attempting to seize the heights in an effort to cut off remaining Saudi-backed positions along the Red Sea coast from government-held territory further south.

Control of the mountains could allow the Houthis to consolidate their rapid coastal advances by dominating routes connecting the Red Sea coast with southern Yemen.

Government-aligned forces have meanwhile mounted a counteroffensive aimed at preventing the Houthis from securing the high ground and preserving their ability to push back towards the coast.

The renewed fighting has drawn Saudi Arabia more directly back into the conflict, with Riyadh carrying out air strikes in Yemen while facing repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks on its own territory.

Saudi Arabia has simultaneously sought international assistance to contain the Houthi advance.

US President Donald Trump considered ordering American strikes against the group over the weekend following repeated appeals from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but ultimately decided to hold off, according to US media reports.

Saudi Arabia has also turned to China, asking Beijing to use its influence with Iran to restrain the Houthis.

China subsequently privately asked Tehran to help rein in the group, Reuters reported last week, citing three Iranian sources familiar with the discussions.

Riyadh's appeals came after the Houthi advance along the Red Sea coast and around Bab al-Mandab heightened concerns over Saudi oil exports and international shipping.

The escalation comes as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the principal route for Gulf oil exports, has already been severely disrupted by the wider conflict involving Iran and the United States.

That has increased the strategic importance of the Red Sea route through Bab al-Mandab, with Burnham saying Britain needed to help keep vital energy routes open.