Middle East: Saudi Arabia continues to praise the extension of the truce in Yemen, which UN envoy Grundberg hopes will be extended, moving the country towards peace.

The Saudi praise that it showed for world public opinion and changing from a major party in leading the war to a party that supports peace is unacceptable. The reality confirms that Riyadh and Washington are leading the war on Yemen, and it is not possible to turn, overnight, from tools of murder, to peace doves.

Amid the truce period, Saudi Arabia continues to rearrange its military ranks by deploying more air defense missile batteries. Which creates more doubts about US-Saudi intentions towards Yemen, and raises suspicions about whether the truce is just a tactic to launch a new phase of the war on Yemen?

Although the US air defense systems have proven ineffective in protecting military and vital facilities in Saudi Arabia and the UAE from Yemeni deterrent strikes, Riyadh still believes that it can obtain protection by relying on US air defenses, ignoring the issue of peacebuilding with Yemen, which is the factor key to the stability of Saudi Arabia.

In the context of exploiting the truce, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues his tours after President Biden’s first visit to Jeddah, where the Saudi media leaked that the purpose of the visit was to negotiate an increase in oil pumping to cover the deficit that will result from the Russian position against the background of the Ukraine war, following a Western campaign to boycott Russian oil.

As soon as US President Biden returned to Washington, the fruits of the secret unannounced visit began to appear. On August 13, the so-called “Native Fury 22” maneuvers between the Saudi armed forces and the US Marine Corps were launched in Yanbu.

The Saudi Ministry of Defense explained that it comes as a strengthening of the partnership between the Saudi forces and the American forces in implementing the bilateral plans between the forces.

In making the US satisfied with the Saudi ally, on the military side, Saudi Arabia announced recently the locations where the American missile defense system “THAAD” will be deployed, on which Riyadh agreed last March, with the American company “Lockheed Martin” to manufacture parts of it in Saudi Arabia.
 
According to the Janes website, which is concerned with defense intelligence affairs, a document was published on August 15 as part of a Saudi request and an American approval on the issue of the THAAD system.
 
The document included the expected completion dates for a THAAD ballistic missile storage facility in the “Al-Kharj” region in central Saudi Arabia in January 2025, and the placement of the first battery in Ras Al-Ghar on the Gulf coast in February 2026.

It stated that THAAD battery sites will be installed in Yanbu and Taif in western Saudi Arabia and King Khalid Military City in the north.

He noted that, in general, there are 7 facilities under construction for THAAD systems in Saudi Arabia.

This comes after the US State Department approved a $15 billion arms deal to Saudi Arabia related to THAAD and associated support, machinery, and services in October 2017.

In 2018, Riyadh and Washington agreed to purchase 44 THAAD launchers, missiles and other equipment, at a value of $15 billion.
 
Paving the way for the Zionist entity

In 2022, the Pentagon announced a new approval by the State Department to conclude an arms deal with Saudi Arabia worth up to $5.3 billion, as the deal includes 300 Patriot missiles at a cost of up to $3.05 billion, in addition to spare parts and technical support.

As for the UAE, the State Department has approved the sale of 96 THAAD interceptor missiles, along with spare parts and technical support, about $2.25 billion, according to Reuters.

With US President Biden's assurances of his country's commitment to work with Saudi Arabia and other allies in the Middle East, to develop a more integrated air and missile defense structure and regional networks, the Saudi military preparations and equipment with long-term US support indicate that Riyadh is continuing its policy of waging wars.

Yemen tops the ranking of the targeted countries in Riyadh's list, as long as those who ignited the fires of war do not want to extinguish it; Only after all of its interests in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea are achieved, and the strategic Yemeni islands are transformed into military and economic bases. It is the Israeli plan for which America, with its tools in the region, draws a road map to realize its dreams that extend since the declaration of “Israel” as a state.
 
Source YPA translated by Almasirah English website