Senate fails to block missile sale to Saudi Arabia

The Biden administration has said the AIM-120C missiles are to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against hostile drone attacks from Yemen.
An employee at the Saudi Aramco oil facility walks near a damaged silo at the plant in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah on Nov. 24, 2020.
An employee at the Saudi Aramco oil facility runs near a damaged silo at the plant in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah on Nov. 24, 2020. Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile attack on the facility on Nov. 23, triggering an explosion and a fire in a fuel tank, officials said. - FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

The US Senate declined to adopt a measure to block the Biden administration’s plan to sell air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia as the Gulf kingdom remains embroiled in Yemen’s civil war.

The Senate late on Tuesday voted 30-67 against the joint resolution, which was introduced by Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT). The Intercept first reported Paul’s plan to block the $650 million arms sale.

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