With the rise of Houthi terrorist attacks on the rise, Riyadh is in an “urgent situation” as it expires its air defense missiles, the Financial Times reported.
Saudi Arabia could drop U.S. Patriot missile launchers in “months”, according to a US official quoted by the Financial Times (FT), which led to Riyadh request to regional partners for assistance in repatriating goods.
“It is difficult,” said the U.S. official, adding that Washington was “familiar with the situation in the Gulf states as Yemeni Houthi militants attack the empire.”
“There are other places in the Gulf that can be taken over, and we are trying to take action. It could be a quick fix. [to US arms sales], ”The official said it was said that.
Two people briefly identified in the negotiations between Saudi Arabia and its neighbors confirmed to FT that Riyadh had requested this.
“There is a lack of an interceptor. Saudi Arabia has asked its friends to borrow money, but not many are supposed to have it,” one resident told the source.
A second person told FT that Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman had raised the issue at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh in December and that the government was in direct contact with countries in the region.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
A third U.S. official said Houthi militants, allied with Iran and taking control of northern Yemen, rebelled against the regime last year, launching 375 anti-Saudi militants, mostly oil, airports and aircraft. cities.
“Responding to these threats through the use of these weapons means that they will burn faster than expected,” the official told FT.
“This is something we have to deal with and the answer is not only to add, but the answer is the solution to the crisis in Yemen.”
US-Saudi alliance
This represents a recent test of the US-Saudi relationship, which President Joe Biden’s supervisors sought to repair following the October 2018 assassination of non-Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi officials in Istanbul.
In February last year, Biden said END US support for Saudi Arabia’s “disgusting activities” in Yemen, including “selling the right weapons”.
But a few months later, his supervisors approval a $ 650m sale of aircraft equipment to the empire.
