Biden administration lifts ban on offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia

The Biden administration has lifted a weapons sale ban on Saudi Arabia , which had been in place since 2021.

The ban was originally put in place in response to Saudi Arabia's war with the Houthis in Yemen . The administration was displaying their disapproval of Saudi Arabia targeting civilians in their attacks. Since then, officials said they are satisfied with the country's conduct changes — and there have been no airstrikes in Yemen since 2022.

“So the Saudis have met their end of the deal, and we are prepared to meet ours, returning these cases to regular order through appropriate congressional notification and consultation,” one official told the Washington Post.

A first round of weapons has already been arranged to be sent, which will include air-to-ground munitions. Additional transfers will be considered on a case-to-case basis, according to the outlet.

The move comes as the United States is increasingly relying on its relationships with countries in the Middle East to broker a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. Since Oct. 7, tensions between Israel and Gaza have caused destruction and casualties, in addition to tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran, and Houthis in Yemen.

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Some U.S. lawmakers are hesitant to restart weapons shipments to the kingdom, given their shoddy record on human rights abuses.

“I hope to see compelling evidence that Saudi Arabia has changed its conduct,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.