ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Britain is set to deploy an RAF Voyager air-to-air refueling aircraft to Saudi Arabia to support the kingdom’s “defensive activity” amid its ongoing conflict with Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

“The UK has agreed to provide an RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft to support Saudi defensive activity in support of the legitimate government of Yemen,” the UK Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Tuesday.

Having enjoyed a tentative peace for years following a UN-backed truce in Yemen's decade-long civil war, tensions between Riyadh and the Houthis flared following an airstrike on Sanaa International Airport that prevented an Iranian plane from landing in mid-July.

The fighting has led the Houthis to declare a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, the effectiveness of which was enhanced following their seizure of key port areas such as the city of Mokha in September.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said Saturday that the group had successfully carried out two operations against Saudi Arabia, targeting “sensitive sites” in Riyadh, and the state-owned oil giant Aramco in the port city of Yanbu, west of the country.

The deployment follows a request from Riyadh for military support, as the kingdom seeks assistance in its war with the Houthis. Several Western and US-based outlets reported during the week that US President Donald Trump had refused Saudi requests for assistance.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday that he had agreed to the request, “acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region.”

“Because of course Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attack, is looking at potential further disruption, and we need to keep those [oil] pathways open,” Burnham told reporters.

The defense ministry in its Tuesday statement said tensions in the Gulf adversely affect life “at home in the UK – increasing prices, disruption to energy supplies, and extra costs for British businesses.”

The ministry “unequivocally” condemned the Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia, reaffirming that both Riyadh and the Yemeni government reserve the right to defend themselves.

Saudi Arabia has conducted myriad airstrikes targeting the Houthis and seeking to bolster the internationally backed Yemeni government since the restart of war, while the Houthis continue their maritime blockade on Saudi transit in the Red Sea.