It was claimed that Riyadh asked for help from Israel after Saudi-backed troops in Yemen lost a position against Ansarullah around the Babülmendep Strait. According to the Israeli press, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman requested intelligence support from Tel Aviv for navigation security in the Bosphorus.
It was claimed that the Riyadh administration sought support from Israel after the government forces supported by Saudi Arabia suffered heavy losses against Ansarullah (Houthis) in Yemen.
According to the news of the Israel-based Israel Hayom newspaper, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman called for help to the countries of the region against the Ansarullah movement.
Within the scope of the initiative, it was reported that the Riyadh administration made direct contact with Egypt with other Gulf countries, and reached Israel indirectly through the US Central Forces Command (CENTCOM).
In the news, it was noted that the Saudi authorities requested intelligence sharing and support in various areas from Israel, especially to prevent Ansarullah forces from taking control of the Babülmendep Strait.
Al-Ahbar newspaper published in Lebanon, on the other hand, wrote in its news, which it was based on US diplomatic sources that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu proposed to participate in a more comprehensive regional military operation against Ansarullah.
It was stated that Netanyahu proposed Israel's military capabilities to the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and that the planned operation aimed to secure the sea transport routes in the Red Sea and the Babülmendep Strait.
In the news of Al-Ahbar, no exact information was given that this proposal was conveyed exclusively to Saudi Arabia. However, Israel Hayom, in the details he published two days after the news in question, claimed that Riyadh wanted intelligence and operational support from Israel via CENTCOM.
These allegations in the Israeli press coincided with a period when Ansarullah dominated the western coastline of Yemen. Ansarullah forces took control of the strategic Port of Muha and reached Perim (Mayyun) Island, located in the Babülmendep Strait.
The newspaper stated that Ansarullah also captured Zukar Island with the transfer he organized from the sea, and that the Saudi Arabian-backed troops carried out a comprehensive withdrawal process on many fronts, and some soldiers were captured.
The activity on land progressed simultaneously with missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks on Saudi Arabia. While air bases and oil infrastructure in the Hamis Mushayt, Abha and Jizan regions were targeted, the Royal Saudi Air Force responded to targets across Yemen with dozens of airstrikes.
According to Israel Hayom, Mohammed bin Salman stated that the closure of the Babülmendep Strait will shake not only Saudi Arabia, but also the balance of the region and global markets.
The strait, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba and the Suez Canal, is a vital route for commercial cargo ships, oil tankers and liquefied natural gas transportation.
In addition to the sea traffic carrying Gulf crude oil to Europe, the tankers heading from Saudi Arabia's Yanbu Port to the Far East markets also benefit from this passage.
Due to military activity on the Bosphorus line, Saudi tankers have turned their routes to the longer line that travels around the African continent in recent weeks. Riyadh also temporarily stopped the shipment from this network after the attacks on the East-West Oil Pipeline.
It was also conveyed to the Egyptian authorities that the closure of the strait to trade will directly undermine the ship traffic in the Suez Canal, one of the basic foreign exchange inflows.
Gulf sources, who gave information to the newspaper, claimed that Cairo backed Riyadh's military demands due to this economic threat and took an attempt to Washington in support Saudi Arabia's call for help.
Israel Hayom said that Turkey and Pakistan, who signed a strategic joint defense agreement with Saudi Arabia about a month ago, stayed away from the conflicts in the ground and were only content to carry out "mediation contacts" with Ansarullah.
In the news, this reserved attitude was evaluated as that Ankara and Islamabad avoided directly confronting Iran and left Mohammed bin Salman alone militarily despite the agreement.
It was claimed that Egypt, which planned to be involved in a similar defense mechanism, reconsidered its position after the crisis in Yemen.
Mohammed bin Salman met with CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper in Jeddah on September 14.
Before this meeting, it was reported that the Crown Prince had a two phone call with US President Donald Trump and asked for a direct airstrike on the Ansarullah positions, but Trump rejected this request.
It was noted that Admiral Cooper went to Saudi Arabia to carry out coordination meetings on the days when Saudi Arabian-backed troops lost their position on the west coast of Yemen.
According to the news, Cooper was assigned to examine the military picture on the ground on site and to increase Washington's logistical support. It was stated that dozens of US military members working in the country continue their intelligence sharing and operational coordination activities.
On the other hand, it was reported that US President Donald Trump did not welcome direct military intervention, but the White House kept the option of an air operation against the Ansarullah positioned on the hills overlooking Babülmendep.
An official who spoke to the newspaper said that if Ansarullah places radar units or missile batteries in the region, the US air operation could be activated.
Speaking to Israeli television Channel 12, an Israeli official argued that Ansarullah's control of the Babülmendep Strait could have more dangerous consequences than the tension in the Strait of Hormuz.
The official stated that due to the narrow nature of the strait, Ansarullah forces can detect commercial and military ships with the naked eye without the need for advanced radar technology and shoot with anti-tank missiles, and this ability will provide the organization with a huge operational force.
Israel Hayom wrote that Israel may not be hasty in being directly involved in the conflicts against Ansarullah. It was reported that the Tel Aviv administration was afraid of Ansarullah relauncing missile and UAV attacks on Israeli territory.
However, the news stated that a possible intelligence support could speed up the diplomatic rapprochement process with Saudi Arabia.
It was argued that with this move, Israel would have the opportunity to prove its military capacity towards Iran and its allies to Riyadh and create a legitimate ground for Mohammed bin Salman to offer to the Saudi domestic public opinion, which opposes the normalization with Israel.
Finally, it was commented in the news that Riyadh's search pointed to a deep-rooted stretch in its official policy that connects the condition of establishing diplomatic ties with Israel to the end of the independent Palestinian state and the occupation.