The US Department of Defense said in a statement on Friday that the Trump administration would deploy an additional 3,000 troops as well as air defense systems to Saudi Arabia.
"At the request of US Central Command, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper authorized the deployment of additional US forces and the following equipment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Two fighter squadrons; one Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW); two Patriot batteries; one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD)," Defense Department chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in the statement.
“We are sending more troops to Saudi Arabia,” Trump said later on Friday. “Saudi Arabia, at my request, has agreed to pay us for everything we are doing to help them and we appreciate that.”
“The United States is deploying additional forces and military equipment to Saudi Arabia to enhance its defensive capabilities and to help restore deterrence against Iranian aggression,” US Secretary of States Mike Pompeo claimed in a Friday tweet.
The deployment comes as Yemeni Ansarullah forces launched an attack in mid-September on Saudi oil facilities, seriously damaging two major oil processing facilities and temporarily knocking out some 5.7 million barrels of the country's daily oil output. Saudi and US officials rushed to blamed Iran for the attack without providing any credible evidence. Tehran strongly rejected any involvement, warning that it will give a firm response to any miscalculations.
American officials have admitted that Saudi Arabia’s mostly US-made defenses failed to intercept any of the drones, or as they claim, cruise missiles that carried out the precision attacks even though they flew hundreds of kilometers over Saudi territories.
MNA/PR
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