Saudi Crown Prince rejects Netanyahu request to join Yemen fight against Houthis

Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has opposed the Israeli proposal for military involvement in Yemen because of the likely backlash among the kingdom's public, a report said.

Saudi Arabia Rejects Request From Netanyahu To Join Yemen Operations Israeli media is reporting that the Netanyahu government wants to join the fight against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, and is seeking the Saudi coalition's permission to do so. At the moment, Saudi jets are patrolling the skies and conducing hundreds of bombing raids against territory held by the Ansar Allah movement, in support of the Aden-based government under the Presidential Leadership Council. AFP/ReutersHaaretz is one prominent news source which reported that the Israeli prime minister had through US mediation offered Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman military help as a way to strengthen ties with the kingdom and face a joint enemy. However, Haaretz has also underscored that MbS is rejecting the appeal, mainly on fears it could cause outrage and backlash among his domestic population. Without doubt, the powerful clerical and Islamic courts establishment would also not be happy at a military partnership with Israel, or 'the Jewish state', related to Yemen. There has likely long been hidden intelligence cooperation between the Saudis and Israelis, especially related to the last decade of covert war in Syria to oust Assad. Broadly, Riyadh and Tel Aviv have loosely cooperated toward rolling back Iranian and Shia influence across the Middle East. Israel has also alongside the kingdom long been at war with the Shia Houthi rebels, and at the height of the Gaza war conducted multiple major bombing campaigns against them. The Houthis during the Gaza fighting also launched ballistic missiles on southern Israeli on a semi-regular basis. With things heating up against Saudi civilian transport and energy infrastructure, Netanyahu is getting more vocal. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific terrorist attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which claimed the lives of 12 innocent people and injured hundreds more," he wrote on X in the wake of the weekend attacks. "On behalf of the people of Israel, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those murdered and our wishes for a full recovery to the injured," he added. 🇮🇱 🇸🇦 Netanyahu is seeking Saudi approval, through US mediation, for Israel to join the war against Yemen's Ansarallah, but Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opposes the move, Haaretz reported Monday, citing a diplomatic source. According to the report, the crown prince fears a domestic backlash if Israel enters the fight. Netanyahu hopes Israeli involvement would strengthen ties with Riyadh and advance normalization. Saudi officials have said normalization depends on a path to a Palestinian state. PM Netanyahu has tried this before. Last month, Lebanon's Al-Akhbar reported that he had offered "Israel's services" in a "comprehensive war" against Ansarallah. The report comes as Saudi Arabia escalates its campaign against Yemen, backing mercenary forces in the south against Ansarallah forces making sizable gains against the Saudi coalition in Taiz and the southwestern coast. — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) October 13, 2026 Some kind of tighter Saudi-Israeli military coalition would certainly be welcomed by the Trump administration, which has long tried to push the two into a formal Abraham Accords pact. It could eventually be tempting for MbS, given his armed forces are not very powerful, despite having cutting edge American-supplied equipment. Tyler Durden Tue, 10/13/2026 - 13:25

Saudi Arabia refuses request from Netanyahu to join fight against Houthis, says report Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied a request by Israel to join the fight against the Houthis in Yemen, Israeli media have reported. A diplomatic source told Haaretz that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had, through US mediation, offered to help fight the Iran-linked group in part as a means of strengthening ties with the kingdom. Mohammed bin Salman, however, opposed the move, fearing a backlash among the Saudi public. US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu had long trumpeted the prospect of Israel and Saudi normalisation after the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco did so in 2020. However, the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023 appears to have sunk those plans. Read more: Saudi Arabia refuses request from Netanyahu to join fight against Houthis, says report

Saudi Arabia refuses request from Netanyahu to join fight against Houthis, says report Submitted by Alex MacDonald on Tue, 10/13/2026 - 09:52 Netanyahu reportedly offered to help fight the Iran-linked group in part as a means of strengthening ties with the kingdom Yemeni men stand in front of a digital billboard featuring the image of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen, on 11 October 2026 (Mohammed Huwais/AFP) Off Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied a request by Israel to join the fight against the Houthis in Yemen, Israeli media have reported. A diplomatic source told Haaretz that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had, through US mediation, offered to help fight the Iran-linked group in part as a means of strengthening ties with the kingdom. Mohammed bin Salman, however, opposed the move, fearing a backlash among the Saudi public. US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu had long trumpeted the prospect of Israel and Saudi normalisation after the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco did so in 2020. However, the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023 appears to have sunk those plans. Haaretz said Israel saw the renewed fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen as an opportunity to rebuild those ties, and likely relishes the prospect of targeting a group backed by their regional arch-nemesis, Iran. For its part, the Islamic Republic has urged Saudi Arabia to avoid a military approach and pursue a political solution to the escalating conflict, offering to help facilitate dialogue after deadly attacks on Saudi airports intensified regional tensions. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the offer during a telephone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Sunday, according to statements reported by the Saudi state news agency and Iranian media. “Insisting on a military approach and disregarding a political solution would only further complicate the situation,” Araghchi said.  The region’s crises had no military solutions, he said, adding that Tehran was ready to provide assistance to facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and help achieve a political settlement.  Deadly attack On Saturday, an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and injured 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.  'Riyadh no longer feels safe': Houthi strikes shatter Saudi capital's aura of calm Read More » The death toll subsequently rose to 13 after an Indian national who had been injured in the strike died, according to Reuters. Following the attack, Netanyahu issued a condemnation on social media. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific terrorist attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which claimed the lives of 12 innocent people and injured hundreds more," he wrote on X. "On behalf of the people of Israel, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those murdered and our wishes for a full recovery to the injured." The Houthis said on Tuesday they had shot down a Saudi Wing Loong II armed reconnaissance drone in northern Yemen's Saada. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement that the aircraft was carrying out "hostile missions" when it was targeted by the group.  Yemen War News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Saudi Arabia rejects Israeli help in Yemen, Israeli media reports Saudi Arabia has rejected an Israeli offer to join the Saudi forces in Yemen, a diplomatic source told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting, through US mediation, to persuade Riyadh to allow Israel to intervene in Yemen, but Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman remains uninterested, the report added.