BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:45 P.M.) – U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis met with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Washington, today, as the Saudi royal completes his three week long U.S. visit.
According to a Fox News report, Mattis told the Crown Prince about his objections to the Senate resolution that called on the U.S. to halt military support to Saudi Arabia.
Mattis believes that halting military support to Saudi Arabia will jeopardize their counter-terrorism cooperation and embolden Iran to amplify their support to the Houthi forces.
When asked about civilian casualties in Yemen, the U.S. Defense Secretary told a reporter that Saudi Arabia is part of the solution to the crisis and that they are actively working to end the war.
“We believe that Saudi Arabia is part of the solution,” Mattis stated.
“They have stood by the United Nations-recognized government, and we are going to end this war. That is the bottom line. And we are going to end it on positive terms for the people of Yemen but also security for the nations in the peninsula,” he continued.
Mattis allegedly thanked the Saudi Crown Prince for his nation’s humanitarian role in the Yemen War, despite the fact that half the country is under a land, air, and sea siege by the Saudi Coalition.
“Your significant amounts of humanitarian aid is critical to help the innocent caught up in this conflict (and) we applaud you for that,” Mattis concluded.
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