Netanyahu Seeks Saudis' Approval to Join Fight Against Houthis, but Crown Prince Objects
Netanyahu's efforts are aimed at strengthening ties with Riyadh and paving the way for a future normalization agreement between the two countries, a source told Haaretz
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking Saudi Arabia's approval, through U.S. mediation, for Israel to join the campaign against Yemen's Houthis, a diplomatic source told Haaretz, adding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opposes Israeli military involvement because of the likely backlash among the kingdom's public.
Another source familiar with the matter said Netanyahu's efforts were also aimed at strengthening ties with Riyadh and paving the way for a future normalization agreement between the two countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly promoted Saudi normalization with Israel through the Abraham Accords in recent months. The late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of both Trump and Netanyahu, worked in the final weeks of his life to make such an agreement a cornerstone of the Middle East's postwar political order following the war with Iran.
According to several reports, the prospect of a deal with Saudi Arabia, which appeared close in the fall of 2023, was one reason Netanyahu sought to avoid escalating the conflict with Hamas in the weeks before the group's Oct. 7 attack that year. Saudi Arabia's official position, however, is that normalization with Israel can take place only after substantial progress toward the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In early September, the Houthis advanced rapidly along Yemen's western coast on the Red Sea, capturing the strategic port city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands, gains that gave them control of Yemen's side of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a vital maritime chokepoint through which about 12 percent of global trade passes. Since then, forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognized government have launched a major offensive against the Houthis along the Red Sea coast, backed by an intensified Saudi-led coalition air campaign, and recaptured Mokha.
The Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia several times in recent days, including repeated strikes on Riyadh's international airport. At least 12 people were killed and 309 wounded in a ballistic missile strike on the airport on Saturday, while one person was killed and 11 wounded in an attack on the airport on Sunday.
Netanyahu issued a statement of condolences to Saudi Arabia following Saturday's attack on the airport. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific terrorist attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which claimed the lives of 12 innocent people and injured hundreds more," he wrote on X. "On behalf of the people of Israel, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those murdered and our wishes for a full recovery to the injured."