US ending support for offensive operation in Yemen: Biden
U
S President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the United States is stopping all support for the offensive operations in Yemen, but will continue to defend Saudi Arabia against other threats.
"We are also stepping up our diplomacy to end the war in Yemen," Biden said during his first foreign policy speech. "This war has to end and to underscore our commitment we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen including relevant arms sales."
Biden, however, also said the United States would support Saudi Arabia to defend "its sovereignty and its territorial integrity" as it faces missile and drone attacks and other threats from Iranian-supplied forces in multiple countries.
Earlier in the day, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said President Joe Biden would announce an end to the United States' support for offensive operations in Yemen.
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saudi Arabia has contributed to the worst and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels since 2014.
A coalition of states led by Saudi Arabia launched an operation to support the internationally recognized Hadi government in 2015. The Houthis continue to maintain control over a vast part in the north of the country, including the capital Sanaa.
✔️ US ending support for offensive operation in Yemen: Biden
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