The State Department has approved a $3.5 billion sale of air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia ahead of President Trump’s planned visit to the country.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the sale includes 1,000 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, related equipment, and US government contracting services. The missiles can be fired by Saudi Arabia’s fleet of US-made F-15 fighter jets.
President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on May 13 and is expected to announce a series of new arms sales to the Kingdom. According to Reuters, he could unveil over $100 billion in weapons deals.
Axios has reported that, on May 14, Trump will attend a summit in Saudi Arabia of leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council states, which include the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman.
The visit to Saudi Arabia will mark Trump’s second foreign trip after his brief visit to Italy for Pope Francis’s funeral. According to Middle East Eye, the Saudis have made clear to the administration that they don’t want to discuss normalizing relations with Israel.
Saudi officials have made clear that normalization is off the table as long as the genocidal war in Gaza continues. “Saudi Arabia is serious not to be tricked into anything that regards Israel during the upcoming visit. It was made clear in DC,” an Arab official told MEE.
Trump maintained close ties with the Saudis during his first term, advancing major arms sales and providing support for the brutal Saudi-led war against the Houthis in Yemen. In 2019, Trump vetoed a congressional resolution to end US involvement in the war.
Trump is currently conducting his own bombing campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, which, like the Saudi campaign, has taken a huge toll on civilians.
looks like war is on the menu.
", has taken a huge toll on civilians" There has been a 1000 strikes on Yemen and the reported civilians death toll is 226. That is not a huge toll considering number of strikes. It will just be a matter of time before the chants of "genocide" are coming.
Right. "Only" 226. No mention about how many "combatants" were killed. We know of one who was killed when the US bombed an apartment building while our officials cheered.
The chants of genocide will come when a genocide is underway. If the US drops 100,000 tons of bombs* on Yemen and is 3 months into a complete blockade on everything needed to sustain human life, then maybe the accusation of genocide will be heard. But until then, you'll just have to try to pretend that what Israel is doing is just normal warfare.
* The 100,000 tons of bombs will have to be adjusted to equal the 100,000 tons of bombs Israel has dropped on the 141 square miles that is Gaza. Will probably have to use a nuke.
That's why Trump is so dangerous. The way he plays people on all sides, buttering up one side against the other and then switching with charm and a smile makes some people happy, some scared to death and some just shaking their heads about the power of such a man.
The Democrats have no idea how to oppose or even proceed. The minute they think they have him, he switches on a dime. He even does the same to MAGA, they cheer him up and down then he pulls a dirty adn leaves them hanging – gasping yet have no choice but support him, feeling that the other side is worse.
Trump is the only one to be feared most of actually unleashing a nuke on some country. But so far according to many that will be the only way for some extra terrestrials to be able to interfere and stop him in order not to destroy planet earth and the solar system out of balance. because todays nukes are 100 times stronger than the 2 US unleashed on Japan.
"…some extra terrestrials to be able to interfere and stop him.."
Unfortunately, most of the races (P-45's, P-52's, Draconians, Nordics, whatever Indrid Cold is, whoever we're working with in Dulce base & Mt. Hayes & the Antarctic, whatever's on 15810 Arawan) have their own interests and purposes that certainly DO NOT align with pretty much any of ours…
Trump is a glorified arms dealer!…. ….. …… ……
He is much more dangerous that that.
I always stop reading when they call Israel fighting back against Hamas terrorists a “genocidal war”.
It’s such a stupid statement it ruins the writers credibility
Most accurately, the genocidal war fought by the Apartheid State of Israel is the one against Palestinian citizens. The ASI just uses Hamas as an excuse for it.
If anything is "stupid" it's thinking that the purpose of all this rapine and violence is to "get Hamas".
I am curious – why did the KSA drop billions on air-to-air missiles ? What "peer adversary" are they arming up against ?
Ansar Allah is ballistics and ground forces; the IRI would go ballistic missile, navy, and defensive air power; neither Al Qaeda's remnants nor Daeshi'i's fragmented descendants ever had an air force. Troops and APC's dealt with Bahrain.
Who does the KSA plan to dogfight ?
They have to maintain their defense/offense generally against Houthis and particularly against Israel…!
Heck…! Israel might just attack them for not normalizing with them… not allowing their airspace to attack Iran… or for no reasons…!
Then… why going to Saudi Arabia…?! To receive a Golden Gift from the king…?!