In what is expected to be the first of many such moves, the US State Department on Monday approved the sale of more than 10,000 advanced air-to-ground munitions to the armed forces of Saudi Arabia, including satellite guided missiles and bombs, in a deal worth an estimated $1.29 billion. The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia and other American allies among the Arab Middle Eastern countries continue a campaign of air strikes against Iranian-supported factions in Yemen as well as providing limited support to the allied air campaign against the Islamic State (IS) terror militia in Syria and Iraq. 13 months into the campaign, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have expressed a desire to restock their supplies of air-to-ground weapons, with US and European defense companies scrambling to ramp up production to meet demand.