The Voice of Ummah: US President Donald Trump has said Israel is helping Saudi Arabia in its war on Yemen, while claiming that normalization between Riyadh and Tel Aviv is back on the table, “maybe more than ever.”
According to Middle East Eye, reporters at the White House on Friday asked Trump whether Riyadh should accept an Israeli offer of help against Ansarullah. “Yeah, I do, sure. Israel has been very helpful to Saudi Arabia,” he replied. Euronews Arabic quoted him as saying that Saudi Arabia is “very happy to have Israel’s support and our support.” Trump did not specify what kind of assistance Israel had provided.
Israel helping Saudi Arabia: Netanyahu’s offer
On October 13, Anadolu Agency, citing the Israeli daily Haaretz, reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sought Riyadh’s approval, through US mediation, to join the military campaign in Yemen. A source said Israel hoped such military cooperation would strengthen bilateral ties and pave the way for a future normalization agreement. According to the same report, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declined the offer, fearing a negative reaction from the Saudi public.
Read More: Yemeni Missiles Hit Saudi Command HQ at Aden’s Badr Camp
Last month, the Israeli news site Ynet claimed, citing regional diplomatic sources, that Israel was already providing intelligence assistance to Saudi Arabia through US Central Command (CENTCOM). Euronews also recalled Netanyahu’s earlier remark that “there is hardly a country in the Middle East that does not ask us for help.”
$24.3 billion F-35 package
The remarks come weeks after the US State Department, on September 17, approved a possible sale to Saudi Arabia of 48 F-35 fighter jets and related equipment, at an estimated cost of $24.3 billion, pending congressional review. Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree says US-made F-15s and European-built Typhoons are being used in the latest airstrikes on Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel, and Riyadh’s official position is that normalization depends on a credible path to a Palestinian state. Euronews noted that Trump has previously linked a US-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement to the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords. In Sanaa, Deputy Foreign Minister Abdulwahid Abu Ras said in letters to Muslim countries on Friday that the Saudi government had recently forged defence alliances against Sanaa in order to drag others into the war on Yemen.
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