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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has rejected an Israeli offer to join the military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi group, despite efforts to win Riyadh’s approval through US mediation, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday.
Citing an unnamed diplomatic source, Haaretz said the crown prince was not interested in Israeli military assistance because cooperation could provoke a negative reaction among the Saudi public.
A separate source familiar with the matter said Israel hoped military cooperation would strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia and help pave the way for a future normalization agreement.
Saudi authorities had not immediately commented on the report. Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and has said normalization depends on resolving the Palestinian issue, including establishing a Palestinian state.
Airport attacks reported in Saudi Arabia
The report comes amid an escalation in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including repeated strikes on airports that have caused casualties and disrupted flights.
An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed 13 people and injured more than 300, according to the report.
A further attack on the airport on Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 others, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said.
Yemen conflict began in 2014
The latest escalation began in July, following a period of relative calm after a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.
Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in September 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the country’s internationally recognized government.
