DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The U.S. has withdrawn its advanced weapons and Patriot batteries in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, as the empire faces threats to continue an attack on Yemeni Houthi terrorists, satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press.
The restoration of security at Prince Sultan Air Base outside Riyadh comes as US allies in the Gulf Arabs look on in horror. the release of the US military crackdown on Afghanistan, including their last-minute departure from Kabul’s international airport.
While thousands of American groups remain throughout the Arabian Peninsula as an offensive against Iran, the Gulf Arab states are worried about US plans for the future as its forces see it as a threat to Asia, which requires mission protection. The situation is worsening as talks are halted in Vienna over Iran’s nuclear proliferation and international powers, which threaten future conflicts in the region.
“Awareness remains important or not. And his view is clear that the US is not as committed to the Gulf as it is to the opinion of the majority of electorate in the region,” said Kristian Ulrichsen, a researcher at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy in Rice. University.
“In Saudi Arabia’s view, it has now seen Obama, Trump and Biden – three consecutive presidents – make decisions that signal the abandonment.”
Prince Sultan Air Base, some 115 miles southeast of Riyadh, has housed several thousand U.S. troops since the 2019 missile-and-drone attack at the heart of the royal oil production. The attack, despite being reported by Yemeni Houthi rebels, it seems to be happening with Iran, according to experts and the waste left over. Tehran has denied involvement in the plot, despite a drill in Januaryware saw Iranian military forces using similar drones.
Just southwest of the runway, a 1-kilometer (half-kilometer-long) area loaded with dirt berm saw American batteries for American Patriot missile batteries, as well as high-level Terminal High Altitude Area Defense unit, according to and satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. THAAD can destroy missiles at a higher level than the Fellows.
The satellite imagery that the AP saw at the end of August showed some of the batteries that had been removed from the area, although events and vehicles are still visible there. A well-photographed satellite image of Planet Lab taken on Friday shows the battery pads in the empty space, doing nothing visible.
Resuscitation of the firearm was announced for several months, in part because of what he wanted to do American officials see the “superpower” war coming with China and Russia. However, the removal came as it was A Houthi airstrike in Saudi Arabia has injured eight people and destroyed military aircraft at the royal airport in Abha. The Kingdom has been closed in a war against the Houthis since March 2015.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby approved the “distribution of other defensive weapons” after receiving questions from the AP. He also said the US had committed “great and great” to its Mideast allies.
“The Department of Defense continues to have thousands and thousands of brave teams in the Middle East to represent some of our highest aviation and naval powers, in support of US interests and our regional cooperation,” Kirby said.
In a statement to the AP, Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry described the state’s relationship with the US as “strong, lasting and historic” despite acknowledging the withdrawal of US military equipment. He also said that the Saudi military “is able to protect its territory, its seas and its territories, and to protect its people.”
“The redistribution of defense capabilities in the United States of America is based on understanding and redefining defense mechanisms as a prerequisite for use and implementation,” the statement said.
Despite these assurances, Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former high-ranking monarch who often follows the views of the ruling Al Saud ruling family, has linked Patriot weapons directly to the US-Riyadh alliance.
“I think we need to reaffirm our commitment to America,” he said. The prince told CNBC in an interview this week. “This seems like, for example, not removing the Patriot’s arrows from Saudi Arabia at a time when Saudi Arabia is the most affected by drones – not only in Yemen, but also in Iran.”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, on a recent Mideast trip, was scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia but the trip was canceled due to what US officials call difficulties in planning. Saudi Arabia declined to discuss why Austin’s trip did not take place after the ceasefire.
Saudi Arabia is equipped with Patriot batteries and firing two shots into the air. This is an expensive idea in the middle of the Houthi campaign, because each Patriot weapon is worth more than $ 3 million. The empire also claims to have seized almost every rifle and drones introduced to the empire, a surprisingly large success that has already been questioned by experts.
While Greece agreed in April to rent to Saudi Arabia the Patriot road battery, the moment it leaves the US is coming amid uncertainty over US stability in the region. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states have re-established talks with Iran as a stronghold.
“I think we have seen what Biden said in Afghanistan, in which he said things that were clearly going to put US interests first and obviously upset his colleagues and allies around the world who might be expecting something different after Trump,” said Ulrichsen, a researcher. “It sounds very similar to the ‘America First’ approach, but different in its tone.”
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Associated Press correspondents Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and Aya Batrawy contributed to the report.
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Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP.