US President Joe Biden is expected to appoint Timothy Lenderking as his special envoy for Yemen, sources familiar with the decision said Thursday.Biden has pledged to increase US efforts and pressure to end the yearslong war in Yemen.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The move was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. WSJ quoted a senior administration official as saying that the one thing which was missing from the US approach on Yemen was not having “a senior US person who was empowered to work on this full time.”The US president is expected to make one of his first foreign policy-focused speeches since entering the White House later Thursday, during a visit to the State Department.Lenderking is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran, Iraq, and Regional Multilateral Affairs in the Near East Bureau and a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.His experience in the region includes time at the US embassies in Riyadh and Baghdad.Biden will also announce an end to US support for “offensive operations in Yemen,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said during a press briefing.Sullivan said that Washington had spoken and consulted with senior officials from the UAE and Saudi Arabia and would pursue a policy of “no surprises” with its partners and allies.Read more:Terrorist Houthi militia responsible for Yemen humanitarian crisis: State DepartmentUN report accuses Yemen govt of money laundering, Houthis of taking $1.8 bln in 2019
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Biden to appoint former US diplomat in Saudi Arabia as special envoy for Yemen
