The US State Department said Friday that the Biden administration has decided to lift a ban on US offensive arms sales to Saudi Arabia that Washington imposed three years ago in an effort to pressure Saudi Arabia to end its war in Yemen.
The State Department has lifted its suspension on certain air-to-ground munitions transfers to Saudi Arabia, a senior department official confirmed. The official said, “We will assess new transfers on a case-by-case basis, consistent with the Conventional Arms Transfers Policy.”
Reuters was the first media outlet to report the decision earlier, citing five sources.
A congressional aide said the administration briefed Congress this week on the decision to lift the ban.
The sale could resume, at least next week, a source said. The U.S. government issued a notice of the sale Friday afternoon, according to a person briefed on the matter.
“The Saudis have lived up to their promises in the deal, and we stand ready to live up to our promises,” a senior Biden administration official said.
Under U.S. law, any major international arms deal must be reviewed by members of Congress before it can be approved. In recent years, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have questioned the supply of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing a range of issues, including civilian casualties in the campaign in Yemen and human rights concerns.
However, opposition to the arms sales has now softened amid turmoil in the Middle East following Hamas' deadly October 7 attack on Israel and because of Saudi Arabia's changing approach to the war in Yemen.
A government official said that since March 2022, when Saudi Arabia and the Houthis agreed to a UN-brokered ceasefire, Saudi airstrikes on Yemen have stopped, and most cross-border fire from Yemen into the kingdom has also decreased.
“We also note the positive steps the Saudi Ministry of Defense has taken over the past three years to substantially improve its civilian harm mitigation processes, thanks in part to the hard work of U.S. trainers and advisors,” the State Department official said.
A Closer Relationship
The war in Yemen is often seen as a proxy conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. After the Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed government from Sanaa in late 2014, they have been fighting a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015. The conflict has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and left 80 percent of Yemen's population dependent on humanitarian aid.
In 2021, Biden tightened his arms sales policy to Saudi Arabia, citing the kingdom's military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, which has killed many civilians.
Relations between the kingdom and the United States have warmed since then, as Washington forged closer ties with Riyadh to draw up plans for a post-war Gaza following Hamas's October 7 offensive.
The Biden administration has agreed to defense and civilian nuclear cooperation agreements with Riyadh as part of a larger deal that includes normalizing Saudi Arabia's ties with Israel, though that goal is still seen as elusive.
The decision was taken because threats in the area have increased since the end of last month. Iran and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon have vowed to retaliate against Israel after Hamas's political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran.
The Houthis have emerged as strong supporters of Hamas in its war against Israel. Earlier this year, they attacked commercial vessels they said had ties to Israel or were headed for Israeli ports. (ah/ft)
