Another Country Will Send Military Help to Saudi Arabia as it Grapples With Escalating Houthi Attacks

The UK has become the latest country to increase the amount of military support sent to Saudi Arabia, which continues to grapple with attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels.

London noted that it will send fighter jets to perform defensive operations, also providing refueling support on actions that include strikes against Houthi targets.

"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," British Defense Minister Wes Streeting said on Tuesday.

He went on to say that "escalating violence in the Gulf can have a serious impact at home in the UK — driving up the cost of living, disrupting energy supplies and costs to British businesses. It is also causing devastation to the civilian population in Yemen."

Other countries supporting Turkey and Pakistan, while Syria is considering sending help too.

Turkey and Pakistan are also providing support as a result of their recently-signed joint defense agreement with Riyadh, in which an attack against one of them is considered an attack against all.

Ankara is sending defensive and technical support. An official told Reuters that the country won't send troops and its aid will be in the form of equipment, intelligence sharing and weapons systems.

Pakistan, in turn, has sent about 8,000 troops and air force fighter jets to conduct strikes, according to another report. Troops, however, are unlikely to engage in any fighting and will be tasked with defending Saudi oil infrastructure.

More than 50 people died in Yemen after the Houthi rebels launched their latest attacks against against government forces. The strike took place in a military camp in the southern province of Shabwa. Some 200 people were wounded as well.

"This bloody, treacherous attack targeted new recruits in the training and preparation phase and is considered an extremely critical military escalation and a blatant aggression on the security and stability of Shabwa province," the Shabwa government said in a statement. At the same time, the head of Yemen's ruling Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, vowed a "firm response."

The Houthis also struck Yemen's presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden last week, killing two security personnel and injuring several others.