Britain just sent the RAF into Saudi Arabia's war on the Houthis

Britain just joined Saudi Arabia's war against the Houthis.

Andy Burnham, the UK Prime Minister, says he agreed to it a few hours ago.

One RAF Voyager aircraft is going to refuel Saudi jets over Yemen.

He's calling it "defensive air-to-air refuelling".

So what does that actually mean?

A Voyager doesn't carry weapons. It just lets Saudi jets stay in the sky longer without flying home to reload fuel.

Which means Britain is now helping Saudi Arabia keep its planes flying over Yemen. Even without dropping a single bomb itself.

Andy Burnham says quote "last night I agreed to that request for defensive air-to-air refuelling".

That's the Prime Minister himself confirming it. Britain is now flying in support of Saudi Arabia's war.

The mission starts within days. It's meant to last a matter of weeks. Andy Burnham says it will be kept under review.

And this is his first order of military action since he became Prime Minister two months ago.

So why now?

Saudi Arabia asked for help. Not just from Britain. France, Pakistan and Egypt got the same request, for air-defence support.

Two days before Britain's announcement, a Houthi drone or missile went straight for Riyadh's airport. It was shot down.

The Houthis have also declared a blockade on Saudi shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea. Earlier this month they seized the port city of Mokha, plus several Red Sea islands.

Andy Burnham says this is about protecting shipping. He wants to keep the oil routes open, in his words.