Washington: Barring unlikely 11th-hour objections, a $60-billion US arms sale to Saudi Arabia is set to go into effect despite initial worries from US lawmakers over its impact on Israeli security.
The Pentagon unveiled plans for the sale on October 20, and the US Congress had 30 days to move to block or change the terms of the transaction, which partly aims to help Saudi Arabia counter Iran's regional influence.
"Thirty days are up at the end of today, after which the administration may proceed. There is no sign that Congress will block the sale," said a Senate Foreign Relations Committee spokeswoman, Jennifer Berlin.
House Republicans did not plan to object to the sale, aides said.
The plan allows for the sale of 84 F-15 fighter jets, 70 Apache attack helicopters, 72 tactical Black Hawk helicopters and 36 light helicopters, as well as upgrades for 70 used F-15s, according to the US State Department.
The delivery of the weapons to oil-rich Saudi Arabia, thought to be the largest ever single US arms sale, would be spread over 15 to 20 years.
US defence officials said the deal had been in the works for months with the Saudis, who have grown increasingly anxious about Iran's missile arsenal.
The defence package also includes thousands of laser-guided smart bombs, including JDAMS, as well as Hellfire and Sidewinder missiles.
The two countries have enjoyed a strong strategic alliance - highlighted by Saudi Arabia serving as the staging area for the 1991 US-led war to evict Iraqi troops from Kuwait - but ties suffered over Arab-Israeli diplomacy and the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Experts say the helicopters would help Riyadh deal with border security, including threats like those that prompted a three-month Saudi assault on Shiite rebels along the Yemeni border in late 2009 and early 2010.
The better-armed Saudi forces lost at least 109 men in guerrilla-type fighting in the craggy border mountains, and the conflict went on many weeks longer than expected.
