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Intel: How the US is filling diplomatic gap with picks for Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Libya

Retired four-star Army General John Abizaid testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 6, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1BE3EFCA20

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously recommended today that retired Gen. John Abizaid serve as ambassador to Saudi Arabia while voting 13-2 to advance Matthew Tueller as ambassador to Iraq, paving the way for their confirmation in the coming days.

While the Abizaid nomination proved noncontroversial, Tueller took heat not for his views on Iraq, but rather for his current role as ambassador to Yemen.

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