US approves $1.96b precision-strike weapon sale to Saudi Arabia amid renewed Houthi clashes

The US government has approved the sale of Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) guided munitions to Saudi Arabia.

The Department of State approved the purchase request Wednesday local time and notified Congress for final review, it said.

Saudi Arabia requested 10,000 air-to-air guidance sections and 10,000 air-to-ground guidance sections, along with supporting equipment including MK66 rocket motors, MK-152 high-explosive warheads with proximity fuzes and LAU-131 launchers, as well as technical services. The State Department estimated the total value of the requested weapons at $1.96 billion.

The APKWS uses laser guidance to direct rockets onto targets, converting existing low-cost unguided rockets into precision-strike weapons. If the sale clears congressional review, Saudi Arabia would be able to conduct low-cost military operations in the air, on the ground and at sea. The system is also expected to bolster the kingdom's homeland defense by providing an effective counter to "swarm attacks" involving cheap drones or fast attack boats.

The approval came shortly after armed conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen reignited. Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces struck Sanaa International Airport — held by the Houthis — on Monday, and the Houthis quickly retaliated against Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and suicide drones.

The confrontation was triggered when a Houthi delegation returning from the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei attempted to fly back to Yemen aboard an Iranian commercial aircraft. Saudi Arabia viewed the direct air link between Iran and the Houthis as a potential smuggling route for missiles, drones and other weapons, and moved to block the flight by force.

The renewed conflict has drawn attention as a new front opening in the Middle East while the United States and Israel are at war with Iran.

Iran warned it would shut down all oil exports from the Middle East after the US resumed its maritime blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

The warning is seen as a signal of Iran's willingness to mobilize its regional proxy forces. The Houthis, part of the Iran-led "Axis of Resistance" that espouses an anti-US and anti-Israel stance, have been threatening commercial shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key energy transit route in the Red Sea.

The US government said the sale was intended to advance American foreign policy and national security objectives by enhancing the security of a major non-NATO ally that serves as a pillar of political stability and economic development in the Gulf region.

The State Department said the sale "will improve Saudi Arabia's capability to meet current and future threats" and that enhanced interoperability with US, regional and NATO forces "will strengthen Saudi Arabia's deterrence against current and future threats."