Alwaght- The US administration has inked the deal to sell $1.29 billion worth of smart bombs to Saudi Arabia, according to the Pentagon. The 22,000 bombs are to be used in the Saudi regime's aggression against two Arab states, Yemen and Syria.
According to a Yemeni coalition of observers, Monitoring Yemen's development, Saudi-led forces have killed over 7,200 people, including almost 2,000 children and women, and have injured 15,000.
Saudi regime has also spared no effort to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as it has always supported militant group militarily and financially, resulting in killing of thousands of hundreds of Syrian people.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement that deals with the Saudis has been approved. The US Congress still has 30 days to block the deal, but is unlikely to do so.
The agency said that the sale would keep the Royal Saudi Air Force from running out of weapons, as well as provide sufficient weapons stocks for military action in Yemen and Syria.
“This acquisition will help sustain strong military-to-military relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, improve [the ability of Saudi forces to work] with the United States, and enable Saudi Arabia to meet regional threats and safeguard the world's largest oil reserves,” the statement said.
The $1.29 billion deal consists of 22,000 smart and general purpose bombs, which include 1,000 GBU-10 Paveway II laser guided bombs, as well as over 5,000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits, which convert older bombs into precision-guided weapons via GPS.
Both Boeing (BA.N) and Raytheon (RTN.N) are leading producers of the weapons. However, a competition will determine which contractors will get the deal, according to the Pentagon agency.
In October, the US government approved an $11 billion sale to Saudi Arabia for up to four Lockheed Martin Corp.’s warships, along with weapons, training and logistics support. In September, Washington approved a $5.4 billion sale of 600 advanced Patriot missiles to Riyadh.
The Saudi-led coalition claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah movement fighters, but the coalition warplanes are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructure including schools, hospitals, mosques etc.
