🔶 London agrees to Riyadh’s request for defensive air refueling

Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said this country has temporarily agreed to Saudi Arabia’s request for support and to carry out defensive air refueling operations.

He added that after consulting with Wes Streeting, the defense minister and Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, and following their advice, he responded positively to the request.

Ahead of his trip to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, Burnham told reporters: “We received a request from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for military support, and I agreed to this request for defensive air refueling based on the advice of the defense minister and the foreign secretary.”

London’s military support for Riyadh will be carried out within limited parameters and will focus on refueling Saudi aircraft to counter and defend against drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.

According to news media reports, this support will begin in the coming days and is likely to take several weeks to complete.