DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen says it has "requested cessation of inflight refueling" by the U.S. for its fighter jets.
The announcement early Saturday comes as officials in President Donald Trump's administration earlier said the Pentagon was moving to stop refueling Saudi aircraft fighting the Shiite rebels known as Houthis in Yemen.
The statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency did not acknowledge the American move. U.S. officials earlier said Saudi Arabia was already supplying 80 percent of its refueling.
However, the move comes amid increased criticism of the yearslong war, which has seen Saudi jets indiscriminately strike markets and hospitals, killing civilians.
U.S. officials also remain angry at Saudi Arabia over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
