Britain says it will carry out defensive air missions over Saudi Arabia

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) Britain will fly Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets on defensive missions to help protect Saudi cities and ​critical national infrastructure from Houthi aerial attacks, ‌the Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. The ministry said the aircraft would operate only in a defensive role and would not conduct offensive strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis, whose ‌attacks ​Britain says threaten regional stability and ⁠risk disrupting energy ⁠supplies and trade routes. The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable. The targeting of the airport in Riyadh ​in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region, ⁠defence minister Wes Streeting said ⁠in a statement. That’s why today I ​have approved further UK military support. RAF Typhoons will ​fly defensive air missions to help protect Saudi ‌airspace from drones and missiles. The additional support follows a request from Saudi