Saudi rejects 'Israeli' bid to join conflict against Houthis

• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declined an 'Israeli' bid -mediated by the US- to join military operations against Houthis.
• Saudi leadership rejected 'Israeli' assistance over concerns that public military cooperation would trigger strong internal backlash.
• The refusal halts 'Israeli' efforts to leverage joint regional defense into progress toward a formal normalization agreement.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has turned down an 'Israeli' effort to participate in the military campaign against Houthis, according to a Monday report by Haaretz.

The report revealed that 'Israel' sought Riyadh's approval for joint military cooperation through United States mediation, aiming to join operations against Houthi forces following heightened regional security threats.

A diplomatic source cited by Haaretz reported that the Saudi Crown Prince was not interested in receiving 'Israeli' military support, fearing that formal security cooperation with 'Israel' could trigger a strong negative backlash among the Saudi public.

Normalization hopes 

According to a second source familiar with the matter, 'Israel' had hoped that military collaboration with Saudi Arabia would help solidify bilateral security ties and potentially pave the way toward a future normalization agreement between the two countries.

Saudi authorities did not issue an immediate comment regarding the report.

Saudi Arabia currently maintains no official diplomatic relations with 'Israel', consistently reaffirming that any future normalization remains contingent on resolving the Palestinian issue and establishing an independent Palestinian state.

The reported proposal comes against the backdrop of escalating Houthi missile and drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including repeated strikes on international airports and key facilities that have caused casualties and disrupted civilian aviation.