Washington (CNN) The State Department notified Congress of a new $650 million arms sale to Saudi Arabia today, according to a State Department spokesperson.
The sale comes as the Biden administration continues to grapple with the US-Saudi relationship that has been strained in recent years following the murder of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia's involvement in the bloody conflict in Yemen.
The sale will include 280 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, which the State Department said are used for air defense capabilities and cannot be used to attack ground targets.
The goal is to replenish Saudi Arabia's existing inventory "in keeping with the President's commitment to support the territorial defense of Saudi Arabia," the spokesperson said.
The new sale comes less than two months after national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited Saudi Arabia and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and discussed the war in Yemen at length. The notification also comes as US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking travels to the region for discussions "with the Republic of Yemen Government, Yemeni civil society representatives, senior regional government officials, and other international partners."
SuperFishy on November 11st, 2021 at 12:04 UTC »
Amazing how we'll invade one dictatorship on the basis of moral grounds but sell arms to another. America
Zordback on November 11st, 2021 at 11:09 UTC »
Something tells me the next time Newcastle loses, it's gonna be *lit
NerimaJoe on November 11st, 2021 at 08:33 UTC »
In 2019 Canada placed a moratorium on arms sales to Saudi Arabia but amazingly, somehow, sales of armoured personnel carriers to KIA doubled that year to over $2billion USD.