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UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has said there is a possibility of further increasing the military support given to Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, he said the UK is not for now considering taking part in any offensive military operation in the context of the conflict with Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Streeting made these remarks in an interview on the British broadcaster BBC’s programme ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’. He said the UK is already providing Saudi Arabia with air-to-air refuelling support for aircraft. Asked whether this support could be increased further in view of the deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia, his answer was that there is a possibility.
The British defence secretary made the comment on the possibility of widening the scope of UK support against the backdrop of the intensifying conflict and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. However, he did not give details of what form the additional support might take.
Streeting said the recent attacks on civilian targets cannot be justified in any way. Referring to the context of the Houthis’ attacks and the spread of the conflict, he added that attacks on civilian installations are not acceptable under any circumstances.
US President Donald Trump has spoken of the possibility of offensive military action. Asked whether the UK would take part in any such operation, Streeting said, ‘At this stage we are not considering anything of that kind.’
He further said there is no military solution to this conflict, and the UK has always made this position clear.
The British defence secretary’s remarks brought out, on one hand, the possibility of continuing support to Saudi Arabia, while on the other a cautious position on joining direct offensive operations also became clear. Besides condemning attacks on civilian installations, he also highlighted the limitations of military action in resolving the conflict.
However, whether there will be any change in the UK’s position in future, or what kind of additional support may be given to Saudi Arabia, was not clear as of the writing of this report. Source: BBC
