SOURCE :- SIASAT NEWS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to win Saudi Arabia’s consent, through US mediation, for Israel to join the military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, even as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is opposed to the idea.
Haaretz, citing an unnamed diplomatic source, reported that the crown prince does not want Israeli military involvement because it is likely to provoke a backlash among the Saudi public.
Netanyahu’s push is aimed at strengthening ties with Riyadh and paving the way for a future normalisation agreement between the two countries, the source told the newspaper.
Mohammed bin Salman is also the kingdom’s prime minister, so Israel is unlikely to be allowed into the conflict without his approval.
Houthi strikes on Saudi soil
The report comes as the Iran-aligned Houthis step up missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, military sites and oil facilities. The attacks follow a major offensive against the group in Yemen, launched by a Saudi-led coalition earlier this month.
A Houthi strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, October 10, killed 12 people and injured 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority. It was the deadliest attack on the kingdom in more than a decade. The airport remains shut.
Netanyahu on Sunday, October 11, condemned the strike as a “horrific terrorist attack” and offered condolences to the families of the victims.
US President Donald Trump has said Washington is weighing whether to join the Saudi strikes on the Houthis. “We may. We’re going to look at it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday.
US assistance to Riyadh has so far included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the offensive.
Israeli media reported last month that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) had mediated contacts between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The aim was to share Israeli intelligence that could help Riyadh defend itself against the Houthis.
Haaretz reported at the time that the Israeli military had advised the country’s leadership against ordering strikes on the Houthis or taking any step that would put Israel at the forefront of the fight. The military instead recommended a political effort to build an international and regional coalition against the group.
Around the same time, a Saudi official told Israel’s Kan News that Israeli help against the Houthis would not make Riyadh soften its conditions for normalisation. The official said progress still depended on resolving the Palestinian issue.
Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel. It has repeatedly said it will normalise ties only after a Palestinian state is established.Israel has carried out several strikes in Yemen in recent years. These followed Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israeli territory and on shipping in the Red Sea, which the group said were in solidarity with Palestinians.
SOURCE : SIASAT
