President of the United States (US) Donald Trump has suggested that Saudi Arabia should accept Israeli assistance in its fight against Yemen’s Houthi, saying that Israel had been helpful to the kingdom.
Asked by a reporter on the White House lawn on Friday whether Riyadh should be open to such assistance, Trump said, “I do, I think they will. Israel’s been very helpful to Saudi Arabia, and yeah they certainly would do that, yeah.”
It remained unclear whether Trump was referring specifically to Israeli assistance in Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the Houthis.
Trump’s remarks come days after reports that Saudi Arabia had rejected an Israeli offer to join its military campaign against the Houthis, despite efforts to secure Riyadh’s approval through US mediation.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has turned down an Israeli offer to join the country’s military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi, despite efforts to obtain Riyadh’s approval through US mediation, an Israeli newspaper reported.
The newspaper cited an unnamed diplomatic source who said that the crown prince did not want Israeli military support over concerns that cooperation with Israel could trigger a negative public reaction in Saudi Arabia.
Another source familiar with the matter said that Israel viewed military cooperation as a way to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia and potentially move towards a future normalisation agreement.
Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and has maintained that normalisation depends on resolving the Palestinian issue, including the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Israeli offer comes as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have intensified, with strikes on airports causing casualties and disrupting flight operations.
