Long-simmering regional tensions have taken a new turn following a deadly attack on Saudi Arabia’s capital that has upended tentative efforts toward Israeli-Saudi diplomatic normalization, Israeli and regional media reports confirm.
According to reporting from Israeli outlet Haaretz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked through United States mediation to extend a formal offer of military support to Saudi Arabia against the Houthi movement in Yemen. For Israeli leadership, the proposal was framed as a strategic opportunity: not only would it allow the country to directly strike at a proxy of its top regional rival Iran, but it could also rebuild momentum for normalization talks that had stalled after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Prior to the Gaza conflict, former U.S. President Donald Trump and Netanyahu had heavily promoted plans for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, following the 2020 Abraham Accords that saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco establish formal ties with Israel.
However, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rejected the Israeli offer outright. Senior diplomatic sources cited by Haaretz note the crown prince’s decision was driven by fears of widespread public backlash across Saudi Arabia, where popular opposition to normalization with Israel has surged amid the ongoing military campaign in Gaza that has been widely described as a genocide by international observers.
The catalyst for Israel’s overture came after a devastating attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport that left at least 13 people dead and more than 300 injured. The attack, which dramatically escalated tensions between the Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, prompted immediate condemnation from Netanyahu, who released a public statement of condolence on the social platform X. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific terrorist attack … which claimed the lives of 12 innocent people and injured hundreds more,” Netanyahu wrote. “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.”
Just days after the airport attack, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced the group had shot down a Saudi Wing Loong II armed reconnaissance drone in northern Yemen’s Saada province. Saree claimed the aircraft was conducting hostile operations over the region when it was targeted by Houthi forces.
Meanwhile, Iran, which has long been linked to the Houthi movement and is a major diplomatic rival of Israel, has stepped in to urge a diplomatic resolution to the escalating crisis. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi extended a formal offer of dialogue facilitation during a Sunday telephone call with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, a move confirmed by both Saudi state media and Iranian outlets.
Araghchi emphasized that clinging to a military-only strategy would only deepen regional instability, telling the Saudi foreign minister: “Insisting on a military approach and disregarding a political solution would only further complicate the situation. All crises in the region have no military solutions.” He added that Tehran stood ready to support negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi movement to reach a lasting political settlement.