The US State Department announced Tuesday that it has approved the potential sale of arms to two of its key Middle East partners in separate deals with a total value of more than $5 billion.
Under the terms of the first agreement, Saudi Arabia would purchase $3.05 billion worth of Patriot missiles.
The United Arab Emirates would buy $2.25 billion worth of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system missiles.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the proposed deal with Saudi Arabia will help replenish its “dwindling” stocks of Patriot missiles, arming the Saudis with 300 new weapons.
“These missiles are used to defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s borders against persistent Houthi cross-border unmanned aerial system and ballistic missile attacks on civilian sites and critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia,” the DSCA said in a statement.
