The Biden administration decided to lift the ban on US arms sales to Saudi Arabia, reversing a three-year policy of pressure on the Kingdom to end the war in Yemen, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

The US government notified Congress this week of its decision to lift the ban, a congressional aide said, while a source told Reuters sales could start as early as next week.

“The Saudis have met the terms of the agreement and we stand ready to meet ours by returning to normal orders through appropriate notification and consultation by Congress,” said a senior Biden administration official.

Since March 2022 – when the Saudis and Houthis signed a UN-led ceasefire – there have been no Saudi airstrikes in Yemen and cross-border fire from Yemen into the Kingdom has largely stopped, the official said. government.

Biden had taken the hardest line on arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2021, citing the kingdom’s campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, which has caused heavy civilian casualties.

The Yemen war is seen as one of many proxy battles between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Houthis overthrew the Saudi-backed government in Sanaa in late 2014 and have been at war against a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and left 80% of the Yemeni population to depend on humanitarian aid.