Congress fails to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia

SANAA, Jan. 13 (YPA) – Despite the ongoing controversy over US military assistance to Saudi Arabia, Congress has failed to block the sale of air-to-air missiles to Riyadh and to prohibit some support for the Saudi war in Yemen, the Arms Control Association said in a report published on Wednesday.

According to a report by Jeff Abramson, amid intense debate about the sale, the Congress has failed to block the sale, which includes advanced air-to- air missiles and associated launchers to Saudi Arabia for $650 million.

The US administration made clear that it believed the deal was consistent with President Joe Biden’s Feb. 4 pledge to end support for “offensive operations” in the war in Yemen.

On Nov. 12, Rep. Ilhan Omar, who introduced a resolution of disapproval for the sale in the House, said, “It is simply unconscionable to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia while they continue to slaughter innocent people and starve millions in Yemen, kill and torture dissidents, and support modern-day slavery.”

Senators Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Bernie Sanders introduced the Senate resolution on Nov. 18, arguing in part that the war was not approved by Congress and the weapons would reward Saudi bad behavior inside the kingdom, as well as exacerbate suffering in Yemen.

The senators were later joined by six Democratic co-sponsors, many of whom had signed a letter in May encouraging Biden to “leverage all influence and tools available, including the potential impact on pending weapons sales…to demand that Saudi Arabia immediately and unconditionally stop the use of blockade tactics.

E.M