The Biden administration has decided to lift a three-year-old ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia on Friday.
This move reverses the policy aimed at pressuring the kingdom to end the Yemen war.
As per Reuters, Congress was briefed on the decision this week, with sales potentially resuming as early as next week.
A senior Biden administration official stated, "The Saudis have met their end of the deal, and we are prepared to meet ours."
Under US law, Congress must review major international weapons deals before they are finalized. Lawmakers have previously opposed providing offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia due to civilian casualties in Yemen and human rights concerns.
However, this opposition has softened amid recent Middle East turmoil and changes in Saudi military conduct in Yemen.
Since the UN-led truce in March 2022, Saudi airstrikes in Yemen have ceased, and cross-border fire from Yemen into Saudi Arabia has largely stopped.
Moreover, the Biden administration has also been negotiating a defence pact and a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Riyadh as part of a broader effort to normalize Saudi-Israeli relations.
To note, Yemen's war, a proxy conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, has killed hundreds of thousands and left 80% of Yemen's population reliant on humanitarian aid.
