US approves $5 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia

The United States announced Friday that it had approved a $5 billion sale of bombs, guidance kits and other equipment to Saudi Arabia, which has been attacked several times since the start of the war led by the United States and Israel against Iran.

“The proposed sale will strengthen Saudi Arabia's air defense capabilities in the face of current and future regional threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and improve interoperability with systems used by US forces and other partners in the Gulf region,” the US State Department said in a statement.

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This sale “will also contribute to the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by strengthening the security of a major non-NATO ally,” added the State Department. Saudi Arabia has been the target of drone and missile strikes by Iranian forces and Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February.