❗️UK expands military backing for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen despite rising civilian death toll According to an investigation by Declassified UK, Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has expanded its military assistance to Saudi Arabia, deploying Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets and providing critical aerial refueling for Saudi airstrikes targeting Yemen. The increased support was authorized by British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, who previously advocated for an arms embargo against Riyadh over its civilian casualty record in Yemen, but is now presiding over direct British involvement as Saudi strikes hit civilian centers. Data from the Yemen Data Project reveals that Saudi airstrikes caused more civilian casualties last month than in any single period since 2022, resulting in at least 66 deaths and 90 injuries—including eight children. Among the deadliest incidents was a September 22 strike on a residential home in Mokha that killed six civilians, followed days later by an attack on a market in the Al-Taiziyah district of Taiz that killed seven and injured 40 others. Despite the rising toll, London agreed to send up to 20 Voyager aerial refueling sorties from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus with their transponders deactivated, while deploying Typhoons from Qatar to support Saudi air operations without charging the kingdom for the military assistance. The escalation follows the collapse of a four-year UN-brokered ceasefire in July, triggered when Saudi-led forces bombed Sanaa International Airport. In response to the breakdown, Yemen's Armed Forces have launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes against strategic targets inside Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. While ten leading British trade unions and human rights monitors have demanded an immediate halt to UK military collaboration, British officials maintain that RAF deployments serve strictly "defensive counter air" purposes to protect regional allies.