The Independent newspaper revealed that the British government has deployed its forces in Saudi Arabia to defend the oil fields, without the knowledge of Parliament and the British public, in a move that the opposition parties said lacked a "moral compass."
The British newspaper quoted the Ministry of Defense as saying that the oil fields in Saudi Arabia are a "very important economic infrastructure", and that cannons from the 16th Royal Artillery Regiment are needed to help defend against drone strikes.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that in the wake of the September 14, 2019 attacks on oil facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, his country has discussed with international partners to strengthen the defense of oil installations from air threats.
The spokesman emphasized that the British assistance included the deployment of an advanced military radar system to detect drones, but without specifying timetables or the number of personnel due to security operations.
In written correspondence to the newspaper, Armed Forces Minister James Heppy confirmed that "British defense personnel accompanied the deployment of the" Giraffe "radars in Riyadh.
He said that the proliferation "is purely defensive in nature, and it helps Saudi Arabia face the real threats it faces."
The minister added that publication is still "continuing" until late November, and it has cost UK taxpayers 840,360 pounds (one million and 120 thousand and 36 dollars) so far.
The newspaper pointed out that the deployment of British forces and the sending of military equipment last February coincided with the ban on exporting military equipment to what it described as the dictatorship of the Middle East.
The Independent added that until last July, the Court of Appeals had barred ministers from signing on military exports, citing concerns that Saudi forces were committing war crimes in their conflict with the Houthis in neighboring Yemen.
The newspaper quoted ministers as saying that the British armed forces have provided their Saudi counterparts with 42 training operations since 2018, including air warfare, officer training and electronic warfare, according to an investigation conducted by Declassified UK.
As for foreign affairs spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats, Leila Moran told the newspaper that "reports that the government is secretly deploying forces in Saudi Arabia are shocking."
She added, "The British government not only sells Saudi weapons to be used against civilians in Yemen, but the deployment of forces to defend Saudi oil fields completely reveals the absence of a truly moral compass for this government."
Labor's shadow defense minister Stephen Morgan said the government was "shirking its responsibility" to keep Parliament and the public informed about the process.
"Non-secret processes like this should be brought to the attention of parliament to ensure adequate parliamentary scrutiny and transparency," he said.
It is noteworthy that the war in Yemen since the Saudi military intervention in 2015 has caused the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the United Nations classification.