US pulls out defense missiles from Saudi Arabia after attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels

The US has removed its most advanced missile defense system and Patriot batteries from Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, even as the kingdom faced continued air attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.

The redeployment of the defenses from Prince Sultan Air Base outside of Riyadh came as America's Gulf Arab allies nervously watched the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, including their last-minute evacuations from Kabul's besieged international airport.

While tens of thousands of American forces remain across the Arabian Peninsula as a counterweight to Iran, Gulf Arab nations worry about the United States' future plans as its military perceives a growing threat in Asia. Tensions remain high as negotiations appear stalled in Vienna over Iran's collapsed nuclear deal with world powers, raising the danger of future confrontations in the region.

"Perceptions matter, whether or not they're rooted in cold, cold reality. And the perception is very clear that the U.S. is not as committed to the Gulf as it used to be in the views of many people in decision-making authority in the region," said Kristian Ulrichsen, a research fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.

From the Saudi point of view, they now see Obama, Trump and Biden as three successive presidents taking decisions that signify, to some extent, an abandonment. Prince Sultan Air Base, some 115 kilometres (70 miles) southeast of Riyadh, has hosted several thousand U.S. troops since a 2019 missile-and-drone attack on the heart of the kingdom's oil production.

That attack, though claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels, appears instead to have been carried out by Iran, according to experts and physical debris left behind. Tehran has denied launching the attack, although a drill in January saw Iranian paramilitary forces use similar drones.

On the southwest of the air base's runway, a 1-square-kilometre (third-of-a-square-mile) area set off by an earthen berm saw American forces station Patriot missile batteries, as well as one advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) unit, according to satellite images from Planet Labs Inc. A 'THAAD' can destroy ballistic missiles at a higher altitude than the Patriot missiles.

A satellite image seen by the AP in late August showed some of the batteries removed from the area, although activity and vehicles could still be seen there. A high-resolution Planet Lab satellite picture taken on Friday showed the batteries' pads at the site empty, with no visible activity.

Redeployment of the missiles had been rumoured for months, in part due to a desire to face what American officials see as the looming 'great powers conflict' with China and Russia. However, the withdrawal came just as a Houthi drone attack on Saudi Arabia wounded eight people and damaged a commercial jetliner at the kingdom's airport in Abha. The kingdom has been locked in a stalemate war with the Houthis since March 2015.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged the redeployment of certain air defense assets after receiving questions from the AP. He said the U.S. maintained a broad and deep commitment to its Mideast allies.

"The Defense Department continues to maintain tens of thousands of forces and a robust force posture in the Middle East representing some of our most advanced air power and maritime capabilities, in support of U.S. national interests and our regional partnerships," Kirby said.

In a statement to the AP, the Saudi Defense Ministry described the kingdom's relationship with the U.S. as strong, longstanding and historic even while acknowledging the withdrawal of the American missile defense systems. It said the Saudi military is capable of defending its lands, seas and airspace, and protecting its people.

The redeployment of some defense capabilities of the friendly United States of America from the region is carried out through common understanding and realignment of defense strategies as an attribute of operational deployment and disposition, the statement said.

Despite those assurances, Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, the kingdom's former intelligence chief whose public remarks often track with the thoughts of the ruling Al Saud family, has linked the Patriot missile deployments directly to America's relationship with Riyadh.

"I think we need to be reassured about American commitment," the prince told CNBC in an interview aired this week. 

"That looks like, for example, not withdrawing Patriot missiles from Saudi Arabia at a time when Saudi Arabia is the victim of missile attacks and drone attacks not just from Yemen, but from Iran," he added.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on a tour of the Mideast in recent days, had been slated to go to Saudi Arabia but the trip was cancelled due to what American officials referred to as scheduling problems. Saudi Arabia declined to discuss why Austin's trip didn't happen after the withdrawal of the missile defenses.

Saudi Arabia maintains its own Patriot missile batteries and typically fires two missiles at an incoming target. That's become an expensive proposition given the Houthi campaign, as each Patriot missile costs more than $3 million. 

The kingdom also claims to intercept nearly every missile and drone launched at the kingdom, an incredibly high success rate previously questioned by experts.

While Greece agreed in April to lend a Patriot missile battery to Saudi Arabia, the timing of the U.S. withdrawals comes amidst wider uncertainty over the American posture in the region. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries have renewed diplomacy with Iran as a hedge.

"I think we saw in Biden's statements on Afghanistan, the way he said things that he's clearly going to put U.S. interests first and obviously, that came as quite a disappointment to partners and allies around the world who may be hoped for something different after Trump. He sounds quite similar to an 'America First' approach, just sort of a different tone," said Ulrichsen.