US President Donald Trump said Friday that Israel has been providing assistance to Saudi Arabia in its confrontation with the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, while expressing optimism about the prospects for diplomatic normalization between Jerusalem and Riyadh.
Speaking with reporters outside the White House, Trump was asked whether Saudi Arabia should accept Israeli assistance in its campaign against the Houthis.
"Yeah, I do. I think they will. Israel has been very helpful to Saudi Arabia," the President responded.
Trump's remarks suggested that cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia has continued despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Asked whether Saudi Arabia's potential entry into the Abraham Accords was once again under consideration, Trump indicated that the prospects for an agreement had improved.
"Yeah, I think so. Maybe more than ever. The Abraham Accords is one of our great achievements. But Saudi Arabia is very happy to have Israel's support and our support," he said.
The United States has sought to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, the normalization framework established during Trump's first administration.
Israel and Saudi Arabia appeared to be making progress toward a US-mediated diplomatic agreement before Hamas launched its October 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel.
Following the massacre, the Saudi government suspended the American-backed normalization initiative, leaving the proposed agreement unresolved.
Trump has subsequently linked the prospect of closer US-Saudi nuclear cooperation to Riyadh's willingness to establish official diplomatic relations with Israel.
In July, Washington and Riyadh announced a nuclear cooperation agreement known as a 123 Agreement.
Two days after the agreement was signed, Trump told reporters that Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords was a requirement for proceeding with the arrangement.
“I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords, which have been very successful. But it's time now that they do it," Trump said at the time.
His latest comments indicate that he continues to view Saudi-Israeli normalization as a central objective of American diplomacy in the Middle East, alongside cooperation against Iranian-backed forces in the region.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)