In an exclusive report, Declassified reveals that the United Kingdom played a role in providing aerial refuelling for US jets during recent airstrikes on Yemen, which resulted in the deaths of 53 individuals, including women and children. The strikes, launched by President Donald Trump’s administration, were part of a larger military operation conducted over the weekend, marking the first British involvement in the raids since Prime Minister Keir Starmer took office.
According to Declassified, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Voyager tanker, based at Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus, carried out two refuelling flights into the northern Red Sea to support the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. This support enabled US jets to conduct a series of airstrikes over Yemen on Saturday and Sunday, during which at least 27 civilians were killed and 22 others injured in multiple governorates. Among the casualties were five children and two women, with footage broadcast by Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV showing severely burned children being treated at a hospital in Sa’ada, Yemen.
The strikes came as part of an ongoing escalation in the region, following the resumption of military operations under the banner of Operation Poseidon Archer, initiated by the Biden administration in coordination with the UK. These airstrikes are some of the heaviest seen since the Saudi-led bombing campaign ended in 2022. Declassified sources confirmed that the UK’s involvement in the aerial refuelling operations was “routine” support for US military action, with no official announcement made by the UK government at the time.
The airstrikes have sparked protests in Cyprus, where demonstrators have gathered outside the RAF’s base at Akrotiri, condemning Britain’s role in Middle Eastern military interventions. Public sentiment within Yemen is shifting as well, with some Yemeni residents in the south of the country expressing frustration over continued foreign involvement in their civil war.
While the US justified the airstrikes as necessary to curb Houthi aggression against global shipping, the Houthis have remained defiant, accusing both the US and UK of pursuing the interests of Israel in the region. Houthi forces have threatened to resume attacks on Israeli-linked vessels, further complicating the already volatile situation in the Red Sea.
The UK’s support for US-led strikes in Yemen has been a point of contention, especially following the deadly May 2024 bombing, which resulted in significant civilian casualties. Despite this, the UK government has not officially acknowledged direct involvement in airstrikes since that time, further complicating public understanding of its military actions.
