13/10/2026
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13/10/2026
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RIYADH, Oct 13: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has rejected an Israeli offer to join the military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi group, despite reported efforts to obtain 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 with Israel could provoke a negative reaction among the Saudi public. A separate source familiar with the matter said Israel hoped military cooperation would strengthen bilateral ties and pave the way for a future normalization agreement. Saudi authorities had not immediately commented on the report.
Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has maintained that normalizing ties depends on resolving the Palestinian issue, including the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The report comes amid an escalation in Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on airports that have caused casualties and disrupted air travel. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, October 10, killed 12 people and injured 309 others. A separate attack on Sunday reportedly killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 others. The airport’s operations were subsequently suspended amid security assessments.
The latest escalation follows a period of relative calm after a United Nations-brokered truce took effect in April 2022. The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and other areas in September 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, plunging the country into a prolonged conflict.
