The Associated Press has revealed in a report that satellite images show the United States withdrawing some of the advanced air defence systems that were originally supplied to Saudi Arabia.
The photographs AP could view, reportedly revealed that the United States recently withdrew some of its advanced defense systems from Saudi Arabia, including Patriot missile batteries.
The agency stated that it had seen satellite images taken, confirming that “a group of Patriot batteries and THAAD defence systems belonging to the US Army, which were originally deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base, were withdrawn from the site, according to a photo taken on the 9th of this month.”
If true, this would not be the first time that United States has removed missiles of this type from the Wahhabi kingdom. In May of last year, the Bloomberg news agency revealed that the United States had removed two batteries of Patriot anti-missile missiles from Saudi Arabia, and two other batteries elsewhere in West Asia.
The US missile defence systems are considered to be of high-tech quality and were used to foil Yemeni retaliatory missile and drone attacks against Saudi targets. Nevertheless, Yemeni forces have successfully struck military and strategic targets across the Saudi hinterland over the past years, most recently in the Seventh Operation Balance of Deterrence.
