Saudi Arabia $5bn bomb sale gets US State Dept approval

The US State Department announced on September 4 that it had approved a proposed $5 billion sale of bombs, guidance kits and other equipment to Saudi Arabia, but the deal still needs approval from US lawmakers.

The department said the proposed sale would improve Saudi Arabia's airborne defence capability, strengthen homeland defence and improve interoperability with systems used by US forces and Gulf partners.

The State Department also said the sale would support US foreign policy and national security goals by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally.

Saudi Arabia has been targeted with 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 earlier this year.