The Biden administration has decided to lift the ban on the sale of offensive weapons by the US to Saudi Arabia, they told "Reuters" on Friday, three sources quoted by "Reuters".
The administration informed Congress this week of its decision to lift the ban, a congressional aide said. A source said sales could resume as early as next week.
"The Saudis have fulfilled their part of the bargain, and we stand ready to fulfill ours by restoring order to these cases through appropriate notification and consultation in Congress," said a senior Biden administration official.
Since March 2022 - when the Saudis and Houthis struck a U.N.-led truce - there have been no Saudi airstrikes in Yemen, and cross-border fire from Yemen into the Kingdom has largely stopped, the administration official said.
Biden took a harder line on arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2021, citing the kingdom's campaign against the Iran-linked Houthis in Yemen, which has caused heavy civilian casualties.
The war in Yemen is seen as one of several proxy battles between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Houthis ousted the Saudi-backed government from Sanaa in late 2014 and have been at war with a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and left 80 percent of Yemen's population dependent on humanitarian aid. help.