Trump Says Israel Aided Saudi Arabia Against Houthis, Abraham Accords Back on Table
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel has aided Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels, and that the prospect of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords is renewed. This statement follows recent escalations in Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including strikes on Riyadh's airport and Aramco facilities. Reports from late 2023 suggested Israel was already sharing intelligence with Saudi Arabia via the U.S. The normalization process, which seemed imminent before the October 7th conflict, has been complicated by the war in Gaza and Saudi conditions for relations.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- President Trump stated Israel has aided Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels.
- The possibility of Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords is back on the table, according to Trump.
- Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including Riyadh's airport, have recently escalated.
- Israel reportedly began sharing intelligence with Saudi Arabia via the U.S. in late 2023.
- Normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia were frozen following the October 7th conflict.
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman linked normalization to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated Friday that Israel has assisted Saudi Arabia in its conflict with the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and that the possibility of the Kingdom joining the Abraham Accords is back on the table, "perhaps more than ever before." Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump responded affirmatively when asked if Saudi Arabia should accept Israeli aid against the Houthis, adding that the Kingdom is pleased to receive support from both Israel and the United States. He did not specify the nature of the assistance.
This development comes amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure, including a recent strike on Riyadh's airport that killed at least 12 and injured over 300, and an attack on the Aramco headquarters in Dhahran. These assaults have disrupted flights, economic conferences, and international sporting events, impacting Saudi Arabia's investment drive. The Saudi-led coalition announced on Friday the interception of drones and missiles near Riyadh and the Red Sea, with no new damage reported.
Reports from September 2023, citing a regional diplomat, indicated that Israel had begun sharing intelligence with Saudi Arabia via the U.S., following a Saudi request channeled through American intermediaries. A foreign source familiar with the matter revealed that U.S. representatives had proposed a regional mechanism in Cairo to aid Saudi Arabia, with Israeli intelligence, informed by the IDF's experience against the Houthis, primarily aimed at securing maritime passage in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015. While a 2022 truce halted fighting, Riyadh resumed military operations last month to counter Houthi advances along the Red Sea coast toward the Bab al-Mandab, a critical shipping lane. The Houthis have since extended their attacks deeper into Saudi territory. The Saudis are reportedly attempting to target Houthi revenue streams, with one source suggesting the escalation aims to create economic and internal pressure to cease hostilities. An oil storage facility in Sanaa was attacked following an evacuation warning.
Normalization talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia appeared close before the October 7th Hamas attack, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stating in September 2023 that progress was being made daily. The Gaza war has since frozen these discussions, and in September 2024, bin Salman clarified that diplomatic relations would not be established without a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
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