Israel and Saudi Arabia held talks mediated by US Central Command aimed at helping Riyadh defend itself against the Houthi military through intelligence assistance, diplomatic sources in the Middle East claimed.
The Houthi military has intensified its attacks against the Saudi regime over the past week, including a drone attack on oil pipelines and pumping facilities that led to a partial shutdown of activity along the main pipeline. The Houthis also carried out an attack against Saudi civilians who were inside a mosque and nearby buildings not far from the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border.
At the same time, the Houthi military seized several strategically located islands along the Red Sea and barred Saudi vessels from passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, imposing what the sources described as an economic and diplomatic blockade on Saudi Arabia.
The security situation has raised significant concerns not only among the Saudis but also among other countries in the region, according to security sources. The concern is based on a scenario in which the US reaches understandings with Iran and the Houthis, leaving Saudi Arabia and other countries to face unresolved threats in the foreseeable future while remaining exposed to continued attacks.
Saudi Arabia, Israel hold talks to help Riyadh defend itself
Diplomatic sources in the region said Saudi Arabia and Israel held talks mediated by CENTCOM in order to help the Saudis protect themselves. The IDF has already demonstrated intelligence and operational capabilities in the maritime arena around the Strait of Hormuz, assisting the Americans in building layers of intelligence on the locations of Iranian forces.
The sources said the Saudi request for assistance was likely focused on intelligence support to build a broader picture of Houthi military deployments in the area and identify potential plans for future operations.
Notably, Bloomberg reported that Saudi Arabia also asked Britain for aid in both repelling the Houthis from the Bab al-Mandab Strait and helping defend against strikes on its oil infrastructure.
Burnham has agreed to send British military advisors to assist Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported, but had not yet committed to sending any additional aid.
Meanwhile, security officials said that US President Donald Trump's decision to allow Saudi Arabia to develop a civilian nuclear program has caused significant concern within Israel's security establishment, as Saudi Arabia is a country rich in energy resources and is located within 15 km. of Israel.
The issue was raised with Trump, who quickly linked any progress on the civilian nuclear issue to the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The Saudis, for their part, want to advance a diplomatic process with Israel following a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel and Saudi Arabia share several security interests regardless of normalization, and there is optimism that a roadmap can soon be presented under which the sides would reach a diplomatic agreement. The agreement is viewed as highly important, particularly amid growing threats in the Middle East that highlight the urgent need to establish priorities.
Tzvi Jasper contributed to this report.