Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], March 21 (ANI/Sputnik): The United States has transferred a “significant number” of Patriot missile systems to Saudi Arabia over the past month, The Wall Street Journal reports citing senior US officials.
Riyadh had been requesting Patriot deliveries from Washington since the end of last year when the supply was running low.
According to The Wall Street Journal, it took the administration of US President Joe Biden several months to fulfil Saudi Arabia’s urgent request, amid high demand for Patriot interceptors among Washington’s allies .
A US official told the newspaper that the Patriot transfers are intended to help Saudi Arabia fend off drone and missile attacks carried out by the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Yemen has been gripped by an internal conflict between the government forces and the Houthi movement for over six years. Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition fighting on the government’s side has been conducting air, land and sea operations against the rebels. The Houthis often retaliate by firing projectiles and bomber drones on Saudi territory. The United Nations has described the situation in Yemen as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. (ANI/Sputnik)
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