Saudi Arabia Seeks Defense Assistance from Israel

 ❐ International Desk

Israel has taken the initiative to provide intelligence assistance to Riyadh to deal with the Houthi crisis after Pakistan clarified its military limitations regarding the recently signed defense agreement with Saudi Arabia.

This information was provided in a report published by Firstpost on Tuesday, September 15.

According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, discussions have begun between Saudi Arabia and Israel to further strengthen intelligence cooperation, mediated by the US Central Command (Centcom).

The opportunity for such discussions between the two countries arose after a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper.

The main goal of this proposed intelligence cooperation is to provide Saudi Arabia with clearer information about where and how the Houthi forces are deploying their forces, as well as what actions they might take next.

The Iran-backed Houthis have recently stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure and border areas, targeting oil pipelines and pumping stations.

Meanwhile, a Bloomberg report mentioned that Saudi Arabia has also sought cooperation from the UK to secure navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and adjacent sea lanes and protect its oil infrastructure.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif described the ‘Makkah Joint Defense Agreement’ as a defensive measure.

He said that this agreement does not create an opportunity to attack any other country. Since Pakistan’s position is different from the previously discussed ‘Islamic NATO’ concept, questions have been raised about the clarity of how much Pakistan will participate militarily in Saudi Arabia’s needs.

Although Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations, security coordination between the two countries is increasingly coming to light in the context of potential threats from Iran and its Iranian-backed allies.

However, in addition to security cooperation, Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear program and US President Donald Trump’s normalization conditions are also important political equations in the talks between Riyadh and Israel.