Will the Biden Administration Lift the Ban on Selling Offensive Weapons to Saudi Arabia?

American media reported today, Friday, that "the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to lift the ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, thereby canceling a policy that lasted three years aimed at pressuring the kingdom to end the Yemen war." A congressional aide mentioned that the administration notified lawmakers this week about its decision to lift the ban. A source indicated that sales could resume as early as next week. A senior Biden administration official stated, "The Saudis have fulfilled their part of the agreement, and we are ready to fulfill our part," adding that arms sales would return to the usual process of notifying and consulting Congress. The U.S. official pointed out that there have been no Saudi airstrikes in Yemen, and cross-border fires towards the kingdom have largely ceased since March 2022, when Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthi group implemented a UN-brokered truce.