British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering providing Saudi Arabia with military support against the Houthis, Bloomberg reported on Monday, following recent regional escalation by the terrorist group.
According to Bloomberg, Saudi Arabia asked Britain for aid in both repelling the Houthis from the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and in helping defend against strikes on its oil infrastructure.
Burnham has agreed to send British military advisors to assist Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported, but had not yet committed to sending any additional aid.
Bab al-Mandeb critical to global economy, UK PM warned
The prime minister was also warned by UK officials that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait was critical to global shipping and the economy, and must be prevented from falling into Houthi hands.
The Foreign Office and MoD declined to respond to Bloomberg's questions.
Earlier on Monday, Bloomberg reported that Saudi Arabia was seeking to increase the amount of oil shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz, after closing its East-West oil pipeline.