Pentagon chief reaffirms defensive support for Saudi Arabia amid Houthi strikes
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to reaffirm strategic ties.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by phone on Thursday to convey Washington’s continued support for the kingdom’s defense against Houthi attacks emanating from Yemen.
The Pentagon chief “underscored Saudi Arabia’s role as a pillar of the regional security architecture in the Middle East and the importance of sharing the responsibility of regional security and stability,” the Defense Department said in a press release.
The call came two days after White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden’s future correspondence with the Saudi leadership would be "counterpart to counterpart" via bin Salman’s father, King Salman, in a snub to the crown prince, with whom the former administration preferred to deal directly.
The Biden administration has emphasized the priority of human rights in its foreign policy agenda. Bin Salman, who also serves as the kingdom's defense minister, led a violent purge of dissent in his rise to power.
