The diplomatic outreach came amid escalating fighting in Yemen and growing threats to Red Sea trade
TBS Report
13 October, 2026, 07:40 am
Last modified: 13 October, 2026, 07:43 am
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought Saudi Arabia's approval, through US mediation, for Israel to join military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen, but Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rejected direct Israeli participation over concerns about a public backlash within the kingdom.
According to diplomatic sources cited in the report, Netanyahu's outreach had two main objectives: securing Saudi support for Israeli involvement in counter-Houthi operations along the Red Sea and advancing efforts to establish formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, say MoneyControl.
US President Donald Trump and the late US Senator Lindsey Graham had promoted normalisation between the two countries under the framework of the Abraham Accords.
Although an agreement appeared close in late 2023, Saudi Arabia has maintained that formal normalisation is conditional on substantial progress towards establishing an independent Palestinian state.
The diplomatic outreach came amid escalating fighting in Yemen and growing threats to Red Sea trade.
In early September, Houthi forces advanced along Yemen's western coast, capturing the strategic port city of Mokha and several Red Sea islands. The advance gave the group control over Yemen's side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime chokepoint through which roughly 12% of global trade passes.
Saudi-backed forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government subsequently launched a counter-offensive and recaptured Mokha amid continued heavy fighting.
The Houthis have also intensified attacks on Saudi targets, including repeated strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
A ballistic missile strike on Saturday killed at least 12 people and injured 309, according to the report. A subsequent attack on Sunday killed one person and injured 11.
Following Saturday's strike, Netanyahu posted a statement on X condemning the "horrific terrorist attack" in the strongest terms and offering condolences on behalf of Israel to the victims' families and Saudi Arabia.