President Donald Trump confirmed Friday that Israel has been providing assistance to Saudi Arabia in its defense against Iranian-backed Houthi attacks, publicly acknowledging security cooperation between the two nations that lack formal diplomatic relations.
Speaking with reporters at the White House, the President suggested that this cooperation could accelerate Saudi Arabia’s entry into the Abraham Accords, the normalization framework established during his first term that brought Israel into formal relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
“Israel has been very helpful to Saudi Arabia,” Trump stated when asked whether the kingdom should accept Israeli assistance against the Houthis. When pressed on whether Saudi normalization with Israel remained viable, Trump responded affirmatively: “Maybe more than ever. Saudi Arabia is very happy to have Israel’s support and our support.”
The President’s remarks come against a backdrop of escalating Houthi aggression throughout the Arabian Peninsula. The Iranian-backed forces have intensified their campaign of missile and drone attacks against Saudi territory, striking airports, oil infrastructure and military installations in an offensive that has resulted in civilian casualties and threatened the stability of critical regional infrastructure.
The assault reached a devastating peak last weekend with a missile attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. Saudi-led coalition officials reported Thursday that repeated strikes on that facility this month have killed seventeen people and wounded three hundred thirty-three others. The violence has disrupted international air travel and prompted the United States Embassy in Riyadh to issue security warnings Friday regarding potential attacks on Saudi airports.
The attacks continued even as Trump spoke. Saudi coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki reported the interception of a ballistic missile targeting Yanbu, two cruise missiles over the Red Sea, and three drones aimed at Saudi territory.
According to reports from Israeli media last month, Saudi Arabia requested American assistance against the Houthis and has been receiving Israeli intelligence through United States Central Command. This intelligence sharing has reportedly focused on countering threats to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the strategic waterway connecting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden through which much of global maritime commerce passes.
The cooperation appears to extend beyond intelligence sharing. American officials have reportedly discussed the possibility of direct Israeli military action against Houthi targets with Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir. The Israeli commander reportedly expressed concern that such operations could trigger a broader military confrontation with Iran.
The growing security relationship between Jerusalem and Riyadh represents a significant realignment in Middle Eastern geopolitics. For decades, Saudi Arabia maintained its distance from Israel, bound by Arab League consensus and domestic political considerations. The Iranian threat, however, has created common cause between the two nations.
Trump has long sought to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, viewing Saudi participation as essential to achieving comprehensive normalization between Israel and the Arab world. During his first term, the administration pursued Saudi normalization intensively, though the effort stalled amid various complications.
The current crisis may provide renewed momentum for that diplomatic objective. As Houthi attacks demonstrate Iran’s capacity to project power throughout the region, Saudi Arabia’s security calculations increasingly align with Israel’s strategic interests. Whether this convergence of threats will overcome the remaining obstacles to formal normalization remains to be seen.
What appears certain is that the lines of cooperation between these former adversaries continue to deepen, driven by mutual concern about Iranian aggression and enabled by American diplomatic architecture.
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