Houthis kill 73 in Shabwa, UK sends Typhoon jets to Saudi
The UK will deploy Typhoon jets to help defend Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks, after a strike in Shabwa killed 73 people, as oil prices climb to a five-month high.
Houthi forces escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia over the past day, after a missile strike on the "Al-Alam" camp, used to train new security recruits in Yemen's southern Shabwa province, pushed the death toll to 73 on Monday evening, according to a statement from the Shabwa governorate, with 14 people still missing. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a "Saudi gathering" run by Saudi officers at the camp.
In Riyadh, the Saudi-led military coalition announced on Tuesday that it had intercepted and destroyed a drone and a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis toward the capital, after Saudi civil defence sent a mobile alert warning residents of an aerial threat, while two explosions were heard in the city, according to AFP.
UK sends Typhoon jets on a "defensive mission"
In response to the escalation, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday that Britain would deploy Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to help protect Saudi civilians and critical national infrastructure from air attacks, stressing that the jets "will not carry out any offensive strikes against the Houthis." The UK will also provide an RAF A400M Atlas strategic transport aircraft to move defensive equipment inside Saudi Arabia, along with British military advisers to support Saudi officers. The UK Defence Secretary said "the continuing attacks by the Houthis on our ally the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are extremely abhorrent," adding that the targeting of Riyadh airport in particular "shows how far the Houthis have escalated the situation in the region."
Economic and diplomatic fallout
The escalation fed directly into global oil markets: Brent crude jumped 1.6% on Tuesday to top $111 a barrel, its highest level in five months, amid reported Houthi strikes on Saudi energy facilities and airports over the previous 48 hours, including an Aramco facility in Yanbu, the Shaybah oil field, and King Khalid and Abha international airports, none of which Saudi authorities have confirmed. More than 45% of flights departing Saudi airports have been cancelled since October 8, and Riyadh has postponed its "Davos in the Desert" investment forum to 2027. Separately, Turkey referred the "Mecca Joint Defence Pact," signed in August with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, to its parliament for ratification; the pact treats an armed attack on any party as an attack on all three.
What does this mean for Morocco?
King Mohammed VI had already affirmed, in two messages to the Saudi king and crown prince, Morocco's full solidarity with Riyadh against Houthi attacks, stating that "any aggression against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an aggression against Morocco" and that Gulf security is an integral part of Morocco's own security. As the escalation continues, the most direct impact on Moroccan households is tied to oil prices: Brent's climb to a five-month high threatens to raise the cost of fuel imports for Morocco, which relies heavily on imported energy, with a risk of higher pump prices at home if the standoff in the Gulf persists.