Biden to shift US policy over Yemen, freeze troops redeployments from Germany

WASHINGTON - White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that President Joe Biden will soon announce an end to US support for offensive operations in Yemen and freeze US troop redeployments from Germany.

"Today, he will announce an end to American support for offensive operations in Yemen," Sullivan said in a White House briefing.

Sullivan added that the United States will freeze any troop redeployments from Germany amid a global force posture review led by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Biden will visit the Department of State on Thursday afternoon to greet staff and outline his foreign policy vision in a speech.

The former Donald Trump administration announced a repositioning plan for nearly 12,000 US troops stationed in Germany last summer, a controversial move that drew criticism from both home and NATO allies.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemen conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

Citing the humanitarian crisis caused by the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen, US lawmakers from both parties voiced opposition to US arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.