US approves sale of arms worth $1.15 billion to Saudi Arabia

The United States has approved the possible sale to Saudi Arabia of up to 153 tanks, hundreds of machine guns and other military gear in a deal worth $1.15 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

The announcement coincided with news that Saudi-led coalition warplanes had resumed air strikes on Yemen’s capital for the first time in three months, killing 14 people and shutting the airport after UN-brokered talks were suspended.

State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said she was “very concerned” by Tuesday’s casualty reports, but did not directly comment when asked if the State Department worried U.S. weapons being sent to Saudi Arabia could be used against civilians.

According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Riyadh had requested the possible purchase of up to 133 American M1A1/A2 Abrams tanks that would be configured to Saudi needs, plus another 20 to replace damaged tanks in their fleet.

Additionally, the deal would include 153 .50-caliber machine guns, 266 7.62mm M240 machine guns and a range of other hardware.

The U.S. State Department has approved the “possible” sale and notified Congress on Monday, the DSCA said. Congress has 30 days to block the sale, though is unlikely to do so. Last November, the U.S. approved a $1.29-billion deal to replenish the Saudi air force’s arsenal, depleted by its bombing campaign in Yemen.

SOURCE: PTI