The US State Department announced Wednesday it had approved a potential $1.96 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, as hostilities intensify across the Middle East.
The US Navy describes the APKWS as an inexpensive way to destroy targets while limiting collateral damage in close combat © Navair
The US State Department announced Wednesday it had approved a potential $1.96 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, as hostilities intensify across the Middle East.
"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major Non-NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf region," the State Department said in a statement.
The package includes up to 10,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS-II) air-to-air guidance sections and up to 10,000 APKWS-II air-to-ground guidance sections, along with launchers, warheads, rocket motors, fuses, spare parts, training equipment and logistics support.
The US Navy describes the APKWS as an inexpensive way to destroy targets while limiting collateral damage in close combat. BAE Systems, based in Nashua, New Hampshire, will serve as the principal contractor.
The State Department said the sale would strengthen Saudi Arabia's ability to deter current and future threats by reinforcing its homeland defense and improving interoperability with US, regional and NATO forces.
The approval comes as Houthi rebels launched missiles toward Saudi Arabia on Monday, after accusing Riyadh of striking Sanaa airport, reigniting the Yemen conflict after years of relative calm.
It also follows a sharp escalation between Washington and Tehran, with the US intensifying strikes against Iran after reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
A separate $484 million sustainment package for Kuwait's C-17 fleet was also approved the same day.
Yemen's Houthis attacked Aden airport on Wednesday, Yemeni government forces said, after the Iran-aligned group warned people to evacuate the facility as fighting escalated in the impoverished country caught in the wider Middle East conflict.
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to face more constraints as Israel's caretaker prime minister after Tuesday's election, but experts say his government could still retain significant powers including when it comes to waging war on Iran.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday called on political parties to do “everything possible” to form a governing coalition and spare the country another vote, as Tuesday’s election produced no clear majority.
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