Saudi Crown Prince Snubs Israel’s Houthi War Bid, Sources Say
(MENAFN) Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has refused to let Israel join the fight against Yemen’s Houthi group, even though Israel lobbied for Riyadh’s blessing through U.S. intermediaries, an Israeli daily newspaper reported on Monday.
The paper, quoting an unnamed diplomatic source, said the crown prince wants no Israeli military support. He is wary that working alongside Israel could stir public anger across Saudi Arabia.
A separate source familiar with the matter said Israel viewed military coordination as a way to warm relations with the kingdom and lay groundwork for a possible normalization agreement.
Saudi authorities have not immediately commented on the report.
Saudi Arabia and Israel have no diplomatic relations. Riyadh has insisted that any normalization depends on resolving the Palestinian issue, including the creation of a Palestinian state.
The report emerges as Houthi assaults on Saudi Arabia intensify, with repeated airport strikes causing casualties and flight disruptions.
On Saturday, an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and injured more than 300. A further strike on the same airport on Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 others, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.
The latest wave of violence began in July, ending a relatively quiet period that followed a UN-brokered truce in April 2022.
Yemen has been engulfed in war since September 2014, when the Houthis took the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces. A Saudi-led coalition stepped in during March 2015 to support the country’s internationally recognized government.
The paper, quoting an unnamed diplomatic source, said the crown prince wants no Israeli military support. He is wary that working alongside Israel could stir public anger across Saudi Arabia.
A separate source familiar with the matter said Israel viewed military coordination as a way to warm relations with the kingdom and lay groundwork for a possible normalization agreement.
Saudi authorities have not immediately commented on the report.
Saudi Arabia and Israel have no diplomatic relations. Riyadh has insisted that any normalization depends on resolving the Palestinian issue, including the creation of a Palestinian state.
The report emerges as Houthi assaults on Saudi Arabia intensify, with repeated airport strikes causing casualties and flight disruptions.
On Saturday, an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people and injured more than 300. A further strike on the same airport on Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 others, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.
The latest wave of violence began in July, ending a relatively quiet period that followed a UN-brokered truce in April 2022.
Yemen has been engulfed in war since September 2014, when the Houthis took the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces. A Saudi-led coalition stepped in during March 2015 to support the country’s internationally recognized government.
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