The Biden administration has decided to lift a ban on U.S. sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, a policy change confirmed by the State Department on Friday. The State Department has lifted its suspension on specific air-to-ground munitions transfers to Saudi Arabia, with a senior official stating that new transfers will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in line with the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy. This decision was initially reported by Reuters, which cited five sources.

This week, the administration briefed Congress about the decision to lift the ban. According to a congressional aide, sales could resume as early as next week, and the U.S. government began processing notifications about a sale on Friday afternoon. A senior official from the Biden administration stated, "The Saudis have met their end of the deal, and we are prepared to meet ours." According to U.S. law, major international weapons deals require Congressional review before finalization. In recent years, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns about providing offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing civilian casualties in Yemen. However, opposition has decreased following Hamas' deadly attack on Israel on October 7 and changes in the conduct of the Yemen campaign.

Since March 2022, when the Saudis and Houthis agreed to a U.N.-led truce, Saudi airstrikes in Yemen have ceased, and cross-border fire into Saudi Arabia from Yemen has largely stopped, according to the administration official. A State Department official also noted the improvements made by the Saudi Ministry of Defense in minimizing civilian harm, partially due to U.S. trainers and advisors' efforts.

The Saudi-led military alliance has been at war with the Houthis since 2015, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and leaving 80% of Yemen's population reliant on humanitarian aid. President Biden initially adopted a stricter stance on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia in 2021.

Relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States have improved as Washington has worked more closely with Riyadh following Hamas' attack on October 7 to devise a plan for post-war Gaza. The Biden administration has also been negotiating a defense pact and a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Riyadh as part of a broader deal, which envisions Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel, though this goal remains elusive.

The decision comes amid heightened regional threat levels, with Iran and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group vowing retaliation against Israel following the killing of Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The Houthis have emerged as strong supporters of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its conflict with Israel and have attacked commercial ships this year, claiming they were linked to Israel or destined for Israeli ports.