- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has authorised UK military support to Saudi Arabia to help counter attacks from Iran-backed Houthis and secure global energy supplies.
- The time-limited operation, expected to deploy within days, involves a single Royal Air Force aircraft providing defensive air-to-air refuelling and potential drone interception.
- The intervention follows recent Houthi advances and strikes targeting Saudi infrastructure, military bases, and shipping routes in the Red Sea.
- Mr Burnham announced the agreement en route to the UN General Assembly in New York, where he is scheduled to meet Donald Trump face-to-face for the first time.
- The conflict in Yemen has escalated dramatically, causing nearly 700 deaths and displacing around 130,000 people according to United Nations figures.
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