The United States will soon suspend its mission to re-fuel Saudi Arabia’s military aircraft flying in Yemen, according to two U.S. officials and one Senate staffer.
The move follows a report in the Washington Post that the US was to end the deal. Senate staffer said the decision is a means to pre-empt a potentially damaging debate and vote in Congress. The political climate on the Hill has turned hostile to Saudi Arabia over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen, the staffer said, adding that some Republican lawmakers who opposed suspending refuelling now favour the move.
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The US military was re-fueling about 20 per cent of all Saudi aircraft that fly as part of the operation in Yemen.
The Saudi press agency said: ‘Recently the Kingdom and the coalition has increased its capacity to independently conduct in-flight refuelling in Yemen.’
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The US Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis, has voiced support for the Saudi decision to end US aerial refuelling of Saudi-led coalition aircraft engaged in Yemen’s war and said it was taken in consultation with the US government.
The US states that Houthi rebels in Yemen threaten Saudi Arabia. On Thursday, Houthis fired an anti-ship cruise missile from Yemen into the Red Sea, targeting a Saudi tanker.
The US sees Saudi Arabia as a key ally, especially in terms of providing a counter to Iranian influence in the region.
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