US Withdraws Advanced Missile Interception System from Saudi Arabia

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji Yeon-jin] The AP news agency reported on the 11th (local time) that the United States has withdrawn the advanced missile interception system it had installed in Saudi Arabia to defend against attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

According to the report, since the missile and drone attacks by the Houthi rebels on Saudi oil facilities in 2019, the United States has stationed thousands of troops at Prince Sultan Air Base, located 115 km southeast of the capital Riyadh. Satellite images from the existing satellite company Planet Labs showed that a Patriot battery and THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system were deployed in an area of about 1 km² southwest of the air base runway.

However, satellite images observed by AP at the end of August showed that some of the batteries appeared to have been withdrawn. Furthermore, high-resolution satellite images taken by Planet Labs on the 10th of this month showed the battery site empty with no visible activity.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, acknowledged that "a redeployment of certain air defense assets has taken place." However, Kirby emphasized that the United States continues to maintain "broad and deep" security commitments to its allies in the Middle East.

The U.S. withdrawal of this air defense battery has drawn attention amid recent events such as the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the deadlock in renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal. James Baker III, a researcher at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, pointed out that "it is important whether the situation is based on harsh realities."

He diagnosed, "Looking at the views of many decision-makers regarding this region, it is clear that the U.S. commitment to the Gulf region is not as firm as it used to be."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.