Move to begin rearming Saudis with offensive weapons comes after MEE reported Russia deployed officers to assist Houthis

The Biden administration will lift its ban on the sales of offensive weaponry to Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported on Friday, a move that reverses the three-year US ban amidst ongoing attempts by the administration to broker a Saudi-Israel normalisation deal.

The Biden administration first invoked the ban on offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia in February 2022, a move that came after US lawmakers, progressive activists, and antiwar groups were calling on Washington to end its support of the Saudi-led coalition’s war efforts in Yemen.

War broke out in Yemen in 2014 after the Houthi rebel group seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi Arabia and allied Gulf Arab countries - chiefly the United Arab Emirates - to launch a coalition to fight against the Houthi gains and reinstate the internationally recognised government.

  • ImmortanStalin@lemmygrad.ml
    3·
    3 months ago

    This didn’t work the last time it occurred and I don’t think the Saudis will want to risk their oil infrastructure and increase internal tensions this time around. Hopefully, this is more posturing and less human suffering.

    • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
      1·
      3 months ago

      Yes but Biden is giving the Saudis everything they want so they don’t turn on israel from the huge pressure of their population.

      • Anna@lemmy.ml
        1·
        3 months ago

        I don’t think Saudis are dumb enough to directly attack Israel. If they do US will be forced to respond and Saudis don’t have anything to leverage. US mostly doesn’t need Saudi oil US liked petrodollar but that’s anyway gone. And anyway most of the weapons Riyadh has came from US.

        • Linkerbaan@lemmy.worldOP
          2·
          3 months ago

          Saudi hosts a massive amount of US military bases to keep the region in check.

          Israel needs countries in the region to accept their pariah state as legitimate. The reason Saudi agreed to the Abraham accords was the concessions of American weapons.

          Saudi can control a large portion of the global market simply because they control energy. There was one Saudi king called Faisal who stood up to israel in 1975 and shut off the oil. He crashed the global markets. Afterwards he was assassinated by his Americanized Nephew.