Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. SUBSCRIBE Nov. 10, 2018 / 1:37 AM GMT By Courtney Kube and Dan De Luce The United States will soon suspend its mission to re-fuel Saudi Arabia’s military aircraft flying in Yemen, according to two U.S. officials and one Senate staffer. Saudi Arabia is expected to announce they no longer need U.S. tankers for the mission, placing the decision for the change on Riyadh rather than Washington. A Senate staffer said the decision is a means to pre-empt a potentially damaging debate and vote in Congress. The political climate on the Hill has turned hostile to Saudi Arabia over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen, the staffer said, adding that some Republican lawmakers who opposed suspending refueling now favor the move. The U.S. military currently re-fuels about 20 percent of all Saudi aircraft that fly as part of the operation in Yemen. But the U.S. will not curtail intelligence sharing with the coalition, and will continue “limited intelligence support in defense of Saudi Arabia,” a defense official said. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia’s partner in the coalition fighting in Yemen, is also looking for ways to end its role in the fight in Yemen, according to three officials familiar with the discussions. The Emiratis have asked the Trump administration for help winding down their presence in the war-ravaged country, but have also asked… [Read full story]
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