US President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that Saudi Arabia would likely accept assistance from Israel in its fight against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, adding that efforts to bring the kingdom into the Abraham Accords could be revived.
When asked whether Saudi Arabia should accept the assistance Israel was offering against the Houthis, Trump replied, “Yes, I think so.”
“I think they will do it. Absolutely,” Trump said when asked whether he had spoken with Saudi Arabia about the possibility. “Israel has been very helpful to Saudi Arabia, and yes, they would certainly do it,” he added.
Trump raises possibility of expanding Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia
Trump also expressed confidence that the Abraham Accords could gain renewed momentum with Saudi Arabia.
“Perhaps more than ever,” Trump said when asked whether the accords were back on the table with the kingdom.“The Abraham Accords are one of our greatest achievements, and yes, I would say perhaps now more than ever,” he said.
“But Saudi Arabia is very happy to receive support from Israel and from us,” Trump added.
Saudi Arabia has not established diplomatic relations with Israel, and the kingdom's potential participation in the Abraham Accords has remained a major goal of Trump's Middle East policy.
Trump previously said that a US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement was contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the accords and normalizing relations with Israel.
The comments came as the Houthis intensified attacks against Saudi Arabia. The Houthis struck Saudi Arabia's presidential palace complex on Thursday, killing five, and in a separate attack struck Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, killing 17 and injuring over 300.
Reuters contributed to this report.