The US National Security Council will limit its arms sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia due to illicit use of US-manufactured weapons in the Yemen conflict. Saudi airstrikes against Yemen rebel forces have killed 140 civilians in a funeral in the country. White House National Security Spokesperson Ned Price warned Saudi Arabia that its arms cooperation with the Middle East superpower was not a "blank check."
According to BBC, Saudi sales of precision weapons used in airstrikes will be halted but sales of other arms including a $3bn military helicopter supplication deal will still push through. The US - bound by its US-Saudi cooperation - said it would continue to provide border security intelligence and supplementary training for Saudi's troops.
According to ABC News, 4,000 civilians have died in the conflict with over 3 million seeking refuge inside safe zones in Yemen or outside their own country. The news website also cited an investigation by the humanitarian organization the Human Rights Watch and its uncovering of fragments that killed civilians and first responders after a Saudi -led air raid in one of Sanaa's towns named Arhab as US-made.
The arms sale limit to Saudi Arabia could sour US-Saudi relations. Many analysts speculate it could turn for the worse after the Obama Administration ends if US President-Elect Donald Trump would strongly stand by his campaign's foreign policy.
According to the Houthi government - which Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations view as a revel government - the UK is also involved in its peoples' continuing despair. Self-appointed Houthi Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtour said the UK is also "guilty of war crimes" for having sold "cluster bombs" to Saudi Arabia while knowing they would use it against them.
Last October, about 60 people have died after Saudi airstrikes hit a security complex in Houthi-dominated Al Hudayah. According to Saudi Arabia, the area is the stronghold of Houthi rebel operations and is a key target to thwart their advance in the region.
