US withdraws some Patriot missile batteries from Middle East as tensions with Iran ease

The U.S. has removed two of its four Patriot antimissile batteries from Saudi Arabia and another two in the Mideast partly because tensions with Iran have eased from a peak earlier this year, according to a U.S. official.

The two batteries in Saudi Arabia were helping protect the country’s oil fields and are likely to be replaced by Saudi Patriot batteries, according to the official, who asked not to be identified discussing the change. More than 12 Patriot batteries and one THAAD battery, which can intercept ballistic missiles at higher altitudes, remain in the region, the official added.

https://theprint.in/world/us-withdraws-some-patriot-missile-batteries-from-middle-east-as-tensions-with-iran-ease/416898/