Trump praises Israel’s offer to help Saudi Arabia counter Houthi threat

U.S. President Donald Trump praised Israel on Friday for offering assistance to Saudi Arabia amid attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he believed the Saudi government would likely accept assistance from Israel.

“I do, I think they will – Israel’s been very helpful to Saudi Arabia, and yeah they certainly would do that, yeah,” Trump said. When asked by a media representative on Friday whether Saudi-Israel peace is still a possibility, Trump responded: “Yeah, I think so, maybe more than ever.”

The Houthis recently launched missile strikes on Riyadh’s airport, killing at least 12 people and injuring hundreds more. Israel has demonstrated experience in largely neutralizing ballistic missile attacks from the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia has yet to recognize Israel, and the two countries have no official diplomatic relations. However, their shared perception of Iran as a security threat has contributed to growing covert cooperation between Riyadh and Jerusalem in recent years.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly not ruled out joining the Abraham Accords in the future but has conditioned normalization with Israel on the implementation of a two-state solution. In September 2023, just weeks before the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said in an exclusive Fox News interview that peace with Israel was getting “closer every day.” However, following the Hamas-led attack and the subsequent war in Gaza, Saudi Arabia announced that it would freeze efforts toward diplomatic normalization with the Jewish state.

In August, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the trilateral Mecca Pact, a defense pact that treats an attack on one member state as an attack on all pact members. However, despite the Houthi attacks, Turkey and Pakistan have so far refrained from offering any substantial assistance to their formal Saudi ally under the defense agreement.

In contrast, it was reported in September that Israel provided intelligence to Saudi Arabia amid the ongoing Houthi attacks.

During an interview on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel is providing security assistance to the kingdom.

"There are barely any Middle Eastern states that aren’t asking us for help,” Netanyahu stated without specifically mentioning Saudi Arabia.

In recent years, the two countries have taken steps toward greater practical cooperation. In 2022, Saudi Arabia opened up its airspace to commercial Israeli flights, dramatically reducing flight times between Israel and multiple Gulf and Asian destinations.

Last month, flydubai flight TZ1073, carrying mostly Israeli passengers, made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after an Omani co-pilot stabbed the Indian captain and attempted to crash the aircraft. Saudi medical teams assisted the injured crew and passengers, with several Israelis later praising their Saudi hosts for their hospitality and care.