UK to give Saudi Arabia defensive support to counter Houthis

Fiona MacDonald, Alex Wickham and Chloe Chaplain, Bloomberg News on Sep 21, 2026

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The United Kingdom has agreed to support Saudi Arabia’s military in countering the Houthis, as the kingdom comes under frequent attack from the Iran-backed militants.

“We have received a request from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for military support, and on the advice of the defense secretary and the foreign secretary, last night I agreed to that request for defensive air-to-air refueling,” Prime Minister Andy Burnham told reporters while traveling to the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The remarks confirmed a Bloomberg earlier on Monday that Burnham was set to approve the request from Riyadh for defensive operational support including aerial refueling.

The decision to support the Saudi military campign represents one of Burnham’s first significant military decisions since becoming prime minister in July. Refueling of Saudi jets on missions that the U.K. considers defensive will begin in the coming days, and the operation is expected to last weeks.

The U.K. will also lobby other nations to help the kingdom repel the Houthis, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named discussing sensitive matters. One person said Burnham’s government felt aiding the Saudi military and pushing back against the Houthis would help stabilize the region and lessen threats to ships in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a key waterway for container ships and energy tankers.

This month, as the Houthis stepped up strikes on Saudi Arabia and captured more territory in Yemen, where they are based, Riyadh asked both the U.S. and U.K. for military support.

So far, Washington — which wants to wind down the war with Iran and avoid escalating tensions on any front — has not said it will help the Saudis beyond the intelligence it already provides them. Still, last week the U.S. State Department formally notified Congress of a plan to provide the Saudis with almost 50 F-35 fighter jets.

The Saudi government after normal business hours on Monday that it was looking into Bloomberg’s request for comment.

Saudi Arabia has suffered several Houthi missile and drone attacks, with the Islamist group targeting southern towns, Red Sea ports and energy infrastructure. On Saturday, Saudi authorities issued two early-morning air raid alerts for Riyadh, the first for the capital in months. One strike hit fuel facilities at the main airport, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A Saudi-led coalition has struck Yemeni territory several times in September.

The Houthis, who control land holding most of Yemen’s population, recently took the port of Mokha and some islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. While they were already disrupting shipping through the chokepoint, the extra territory tightens their grip over it.

The Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and a drone strike that shut the kingdom’s most important oil pipeline have pushed up energy prices this month, with Brent crude trading around $100 a barrel. The Saudi government said the pipeline attack came from Iraq, where many pro-Iran militias are based.

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(With assistance from Nick Wadhams.)