“The withdrawal of the Patriot defense systems will not affect the strength of Saudi air defense,” Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi coalition in Yemen, was quoted as saying.
He added: “We have a deep understanding with our allies about the threats in the region. We have the ability to defend our country.
This is Saudi Arabia’s first comment on Washington’s announcement Friday to withdraw its troops and air defense systems from the Middle East, mainly Saudi Arabia, including the Patriot missile system and the Todd anti-missile system as said to be a part of the withdrawal.
A spokesman for the Saudi aggression coalition did not disclose the number of Patriot systems in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s response comes as the Biden government seeks to withdraw hundreds of troops, missiles, and radars, as well as fighters from Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan.
Last week, Reuters quoted an informed source as saying that the Greek government had signed a new military agreement with Saudi Arabia, during which it was agreed that Greece would provide the Patriot missile defense system to Saudi Arabia.
In recent months, however, Saudi Arabia has been under the burden of missile and drone strikes by the Yemeni armed forces and has never been able to prevent such widespread attacks with its defense systems.
Saudi Arabia has led the aggressor coalition since 2015 under the pretext of supporting the resigned Yemeni government.
