US backs estimated $1.96 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia

The US State Department said it had approved an estimated $1.96 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia to support the kingdom's air defenses amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.

The department said the proposed sale would support US foreign policy and national security goals by improving the security of a country it described as a Major non-NATO Ally and a force for stability and economic progress in the Gulf region.

The weapons Saudi Arabia is seeking include up to 20,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems and warheads. The US Navy describes the system as a lower-cost way to destroy targets while limiting collateral damage in close combat. The State Department said BAE Systems in Nashua, New Jersey, would be the principal contractor.

The department said the sale would improve Saudi Arabia's ability to deter current and future threats by strengthening homeland defense and improving interoperability with US forces and other regional and NATO forces. It also said the proposed sale would not harm US defense readiness.

The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia appears close to renewed conflict with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis after the Houthis fired missiles at an airport in the southern Saudi city of Abha on Monday. That attack followed a Yemeni government strike on Sanaa airport to divert a flight returning from the Iranian supreme leader's funeral with a Houthi delegation on board. The Houthis blamed Riyadh for the strike.

The announcement also comes amid increased US attacks on Iran after Washington reimposed a naval blockade as the two sides return to war.