Washington, NOV 11:
The United States will stop refueling Saudi Arabian aircraft fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Pentagon and the Saudi kingdom said late Friday.
The refueling change does not affect the US military assistance and training to improve the Saudi airstrikes, which have reportedly caused thousands of civilian deaths.
“The US and the coalition are planning to collaborate on building up legitimate Yemeni forces to defend the Yemeni people, secure their country’s borders, and contribute to counter al-Qaida and ISIS efforts in Yemen and the region,” US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said.
As a result, the decision to halt the US refueling will likely have little impact on the fight, but will allow the Trump administration to say it has taken action against the Saudis for the devastation in Yemen.
The Saudi statement said it had “increased its capability to independently conduct inflight refueling,” and therefore “requested cessation of inflight refueling support for its operations in Yemen.” The action comes amid growing congressional anger against Saudi Arabia, a key ally and the country where President Donald Trump made his first visit abroad after taking office.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has attracted the ire of US lawmakers in the wake of the October 2 killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of the crown prince, inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Turkey says Khashoggi was strangled and dismembered at the consulate in Istanbul by a 15-member assassination squad, including agents close to the prince.
Members of Congress have been calling for the administration to curtail arms sales to Saudi Arabia or take other action. And with the election handing control of the US House to the Democrats, it becomes more likely that some retaliation against Saudi Arabia would gain traction on Capitol Hill.
The refueling decision, which was first reported by The Washington Post, has been under discussion for a few weeks. US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Senate staffers were asked about the issue Thursday and whether their bosses would support it.
Mattis acknowledged “continued bipartisan interest from Congress,” and said the Trump administration is “appreciative of the continued dialogue we have had with key members on this issue.”
