Reuters: Biden Administration Lifts Ban on Sale of Offensive Weapons to Saudi Arabia

On Friday, August 9, Reuters reported, citing three informed sources, that the Biden administration has decided to lift the ban on the sale of U.S. offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, changing its three-year policy aimed at pressuring the country to end the war in Yemen. One source in the U.S. Congress told Reuters that the U.S. government informed Congress of this decision, and another source said that arms sales could resume as early as next week. A senior Biden administration official told Reuters, 'The Saudis have fulfilled their commitments, and we are also ready to fulfill ours.' This official stated that since March 2022, when the Saudis and Houthis entered a UN-led ceasefire agreement, there have been no airstrikes by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, and cross-border attacks from Yemen towards Saudi Arabia have largely ceased. President Joe Biden adopted a tougher stance on arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2021, citing the Saudi approach against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, which inflicted heavy casualties on civilians. The Yemen war is considered one of several proxy battles of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region. Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, when the Houthis captured Sanaa, the capital, and most of the northern regions. Months later, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia entered the conflict, fighting the rebels since 2015 to restore the internationally recognized government. This civil war has resulted in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, reportedly killing hundreds of thousands and leaving 80% of Yemen's population dependent on humanitarian aid. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October, the Iran-backed Houthis have also launched missile and drone attacks on vessels in critical maritime channels in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden, claiming to support the people of Gaza. Some Western experts say these attacks are carried out on the orders and with the assistance of the Islamic Republic. The Houthi attacks prompted the United States and Britain to conduct several airstrikes in Yemen, destroying the military infrastructure of this group. Houthi militants have claimed to have attacked two U.S. destroyers; however, a U.S. official stated they have no information on this. The U.S. has sanctioned several individuals and entities for supporting the Houthis' arms supply. The Houthis have threatened that a response to Israel's attack is inevitable.