英国宣布将派遣皇家空军的“台风”战斗机，以协助沙特阿拉伯抵御也门胡塞武装组织（该组织也被称为“安萨尔·阿拉”）发动的导弹和无人机袭击。
The United Kingdom has announced it will deploy Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets to help defend Saudi Arabia from missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, the armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God).
英国国防部在周二发布的声明中表示，这些战斗机将仅执行防御任务，不会对这一得到伊朗支持的武装组织发动攻击。
The jets will play a “defensive role”, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that they will not carry out attacks against the Iranian-backed armed group.
当前，胡塞武装与得到沙特阿拉伯支持的也门政府之间正处于激烈的战斗状态。
The move comes amid heavy fighting between the Houthis and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia.
近几周来，胡塞武装多次对沙特阿拉伯的石油设施及利雅得主要机场发动导弹和无人机袭击；而由沙特领导的联军则对胡塞武装的据点进行了空袭。
In recent weeks, the Houthis have carried out missile and drone attacks against the kingdom, including oil facilities and Riyadh’s main airport while the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government has launched air attacks on Houthi positions.
英国决定派遣战斗机协助沙特阿拉伯，这不过是两国长达一个多世纪友好关系的最新例证——这一关系可以追溯到第一次世界大战期间签署的条约（该条约的签署时间远早于沙特王国的建立）。
The UK’s decision to send jets to assist Saudi Arabia marks just the latest chapter in a partnership that stretches back more than a century, to a treaty signed during the First World War, years before the Saudi kingdom was founded.
那么，英国究竟派遣了哪些军事力量？两国又是如何建立起如此紧密的合作关系的呢？
So what is the UK sending, and how did the two countries become so closely bound? Here’s what you need to know:
英国派遣了哪些军事力量？战斗机、“A400M”运输机以及军事顾问。
What is the UK sending?
英国国防部还表示，他们将扩大此前已同意提供的空中加油服务，以支持沙特的军事行动（包括针对也门胡塞武装目标的打击）。
Fighter jets, an A400M transport aircraft and advisers.
英沙关系可以追溯到多久以前？可以追溯到第一次世界大战时期。
The ministry said it was also extending air-to-air refuelling which it previously agreed to provide for Saudi air operations, including those to degrade Houthi military targets in Yemen.
根据英国国家档案馆保存的印度事务办公室文件，1915年12月，英国在海湾地区的高级官员珀西·考克斯爵士与当时统治阿拉伯中部内志地区的阿卜杜勒-阿齐兹·伊本·沙特国王签署了《达林条约》。作为交换，沙特同意与英国结盟对抗奥斯曼帝国，而英国则向沙特提供了资金和武器支持。1927年5月，两国在吉达又签署了新的条约。阿卜杜勒阿齐兹国王于1932年建立了沙特阿拉伯王国。英国与沙特的军售交易始于何时？20世纪60年代。
How far back does the UK-Saudi relationship go? To the First World War. In December 1915, Sir Percy Cox, a senior British official in the Gulf, concluded the Treaty of Darin with King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, then ruler of Nejd in central Arabia, according to India Office records held by the UK’s National Archives. In return, he allied with Britain against the Ottoman Empire, and Britain backed him with cash and weapons. In May 1927, Britain signed a new treaty with him at Jeddah, according to an India Office memorandum. King Abdulaziz founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.
根据当时美国国务院的一份备忘录，1966年5月，沙特阿拉伯签署合同，从英国飞机公司购买40架“闪电”战斗机和25架喷气式教练机，以及一套雷达系统。即便在当时，也门也是其中一环。
When did UK-Saudi arms deals begin? In the 1960s.
1962年，穆塔瓦基利亚王国也门在一场军事政变中被推翻，阿拉伯也门共和国成立。埃及派兵支持共和政府，而沙特阿拉伯和约旦则向试图恢复伊玛目统治的保皇派武装提供武器和资金。到1966年，内战已陷入僵局。
In May 1966, Saudi Arabia signed contracts to buy 40 Lightning fighter jets and 25 jet trainers from the British Aircraft Corporation, along with a radar system, according to a US Department of State memo from the time. Even then, Yemen was part of the picture. In 1962, the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was overthrown in a military coup and the Yemen Arab Republic was established.
与此同时，英国正面临苏联和埃及支持的民族主义团体对其控制亚丁和南也门的反叛。英国最终于1967年撤出。
Egypt sent troops to back the republican government, while Saudi Arabia and Jordan armed and funded royalist forces trying to restore the Imam. By 1966, the civil war had reached a stalemate.
根据解密的美国国务院记录，1966年，沙特国防大臣苏尔坦亲王请求英国提供一支皇家空军战斗机中队，一旦也门战事再起，便以沙特涂装飞行。
Meanwhile, Britain was facing rebellion from Soviet- and Egypt-backed nationalist groups over its control of Aden and southern Yemen.
英国转而提出提供由英国飞行员驾驶的战斗机，并表示如有需要，准备短期派遣一支皇家空军“闪电”截击机中队。
Britain ultimately withdrew in 1967.
记录显示，最终沙特阿拉伯接受了这些战机和民用飞行员，皇家空军中队并未出动。
In 1966, Saudi Arabia’s defence minister, Prince Sultan, asked the UK to supply an RAF fighter squadron to fly under Saudi colours if fighting resumed in Yemen, according to declassified US State Department records.
BAE系统公司（当时为英国飞机公司）表示，其与沙特阿拉伯的关系可追溯至1966年，1973年，两国政府签署了一份谅解备忘录，指定该公司为主承包商。
Britain instead offered fighter jets flown by British pilots, and said it was ready to send an RAF squadron of Lightning interceptors for a short period if required.
1980年代与“Al-Yamamah”交易 1985年，两国政府签署了一项以石油换武器的协议，名为“Al-Yamamah”，涉及“狂风”和“鹰”式战机。
In the end, Saudi Arabia accepted the jets and civilian pilots, and the RAF squadron was not needed, the records show.
路透社称“Al-Yamamah”系列交易是英国历史上最大的出口合同。
BAE Systems, then the British Aircraft Corporation, says its ties with Saudi Arabia date back to 1966, and in 1973, the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding naming the company as prime contractor.
沙特阿拉伯每天留出多达60万桶石油，用于支付“狂风”战机和其他装备的费用。
1980s and the Al-Yamamah deal In 1985, the two governments signed an oil-for-arms agreement, known as Al-Yamamah, for Tornado and Hawk jets.
根据英国上议院的一项判决，英国严重欺诈办公室从2004年起调查了与该交易相关的腐败指控，但于2006年12月终止了调查。时任英国总检察长戈德斯密特勋爵援引了维护国家安全的必要性。英国此前是否曾从沙特领土作战？
The Reuters news agency has described the Al-Yamamah deals as the largest export contracts in British history. Saudi Arabia set aside up to 600,000 barrels of oil a day to pay for Tornado jets and other equipment. The UK’s Serious Fraud Office investigated corruption allegations linked to the deal from 2004, but dropped the inquiry in December 2006, according to a House of Lords judgement.
1990年8月伊拉克入侵科威特时，沙特阿拉伯国王法赫德向友好政府寻求帮助。
The attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, cited the need to safeguard national security.
据英国皇家空军博物馆称，8月11日，12架英国皇家空军龙卷风战斗机从塞浦路斯的阿克罗蒂里飞往沙特阿拉伯的达赫兰。
Has Britain fought from Saudi soil before?
该博物馆的记录显示，1990年10月，沙特阿拉伯的塔布克又设立了更多皇家空军龙卷风分遣队，1991年1月，达赫兰也设立了分遣队。
When Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia asked friendly governments for help.
战争期间，时任国防大臣汤姆·金向议会表示，沙特阿拉伯为英国提供了东道国支持。
On August 11, 12 RAF Tornado fighters flew from Akrotiri in Cyprus to Dhahran in Saudi Arabia, according to the RAF Museum.
他还报告称，一架驻扎在该王国的龙卷风战斗机失踪，这是敌方行动中损失的第四架。
Further RAF Tornado detachments were set up at Tabuk in Saudi Arabia in October 1990, and at Dhahran in January 1991, the museum’s records show.
据美国空军称，此后，英国飞机与美国和法国的战斗机一起，从沙特基地起飞，直到2003年一直在南伊拉克上空巡逻禁飞区。台风战斗机是如何介入的？
During the war, then-Defence Secretary Tom King told Parliament that Saudi Arabia had provided the UK with host-nation support. He also reported that a Tornado based in the kingdom had gone missing, the fourth lost in enemy action.
2007年9月，沙特阿拉伯同意从英国购买72架台风战斗机，英国国防部当时表示。这些战机将取代沙特空军的龙卷风战斗机及其他飞机。该交易价值44.3亿英镑（当时约合89亿美元）。制造这些战机的BAE系统公司将其称为“萨拉姆项目”。
British aircraft then patrolled a no-fly zone over southern Iraq, alongside United States and French jets, flying from Saudi bases until 2003, according to the US Air Force. Where do the Typhoons come in? In September 2007, Saudi Arabia agreed to buy 72 Typhoons from Britain, the UK MoD said at the time. The jets were to replace Tornadoes and other aircraft in the Saudi air force.
2018年3月，在沙特王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼访问伦敦期间，英国与沙特阿拉伯签署了一份意向备忘录，以最终确定再购买48架台风战斗机，BAE系统公司在向伦敦证券交易所提交的声明中表示。但该交易搁浅了。
The deal was worth 4.43 billion pounds (then about $8.9bn). BAE Systems, which builds the jets, called it the Salam Project.
作为台风战斗机的制造方并对其出口拥有否决权的德国，在2018年沙特记者贾马尔·卡舒吉遇害后，暂停了对沙特阿拉伯的武器销售。卡舒吉是《华盛顿邮报》的一名专栏作家，曾就王储及其政策发表批评性文章。
In March 2018, during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to London, the UK signed a memorandum of intent with Saudi Arabia to finalise the purchase of 48 more Typhoons, BAE Systems said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. But the deal stalled.
2024年1月，柏林撤回了反对意见，时任外长贝尔伯克表示，自2023年10月7日哈马斯袭击以色列南部、以色列对加沙发动种族灭绝战争以来，中东已变成一个完全不同的地方。BAE系统公司表示，当年它正在支持英国政府与沙特阿拉伯的谈判。也门呢？
Germany, which helps build the Typhoon and has a veto over its exports, halted arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of the crown prince and his policies, in 2018. Berlin dropped its objection in January 2024, with then-Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock saying the Middle East had become a completely different place since October 7, 2023, when southern Israel was attacked by Hamas and Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza BAE said that year it was supporting the UK government in discussions with Saudi Arabia. What about Yemen?
2019年6月，即胡塞武装夺取也门首都萨那五年后——此举引发了一场残酷的内战——英国上诉法院裁定，政府在未评估过去事件是否违反国际人道法的情况下，批准向沙特阿拉伯出售可能用于也门的武器，属于非法行为。
In June 2019, five years after the Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, triggering a brutal civil war, the UK’s Court of Appeal ruled that the government had acted unlawfully by licensing arms sales to Saudi Arabia for possible use in Yemen without assessing whether past incidents had breached international humanitarian law.
新许可证的发放被叫停。2020年7月，时任贸易大臣特拉斯告诉议会，许可将恢复发放，理由是没有明显风险表明这些武器会被用于严重违法行为。
New licences were halted. In July 2020, then-Trade Secretary Liz Truss told Parliament they would resume, saying there was not a clear risk the arms would be used in a serious violation of the law.
英国也曾直接打击胡塞武装。据国防部称，2024年，英国皇家空军“台风”战机参与了美国对也门的袭击，此前胡塞武装针对加沙遭轰炸，袭击了与以色列有关的红海航运。
The UK has also struck the Houthis directly. RAF Typhoons joined US attacks on Yemen in 2024 following Houthi attacks on Israel-linked Red Sea shipping in response to the bombardment of Gaza, according to the MoD.
随后，在今年9月，英国派遣一架“旅行者”加油机，协助沙特阿拉伯为战斗机实施空中加油。接受加油的飞机是英国制造的“台风”战机，由沙特空军驾驶。
Then, in September this year, Britain sent a Voyager tanker to assist Saudi Arabia with air-to-air refuelling of fighter jets. The planes it refuels are British-built Typhoons flown by the Saudi air force.