WASHINGTON, October 19, 2026: US President Donald Trump has suggested that Saudi Arabia could accept Israeli assistance in operations against Yemen’s Houthi movement, raising the possibility of closer security cooperation between the two countries despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump was asked whether Saudi Arabia might be willing to accept Israeli support against the Houthis. He responded that he believed it should happen.
When questioned about whether he had discussed the possibility directly with Saudi leaders, the US president expressed confidence that Riyadh would agree to such cooperation.
However, Trump did not provide details of any proposed arrangement or confirm that Saudi Arabia had formally agreed to accept Israeli assistance.
Saudi Arabia yet to confirm Trump’s claim
Saudi Arabia has not publicly confirmed Trump’s remarks or announced any agreement involving Israeli assistance against the Houthis.
The kingdom and Israel do not maintain formal diplomatic relations, making any potential security cooperation between them a politically sensitive development in the Middle East.
Trump’s comments come amid reports suggesting that Israel has begun sharing intelligence concerning the Houthis with Saudi Arabia through the United States.
According to Israeli media reports, the alleged intelligence-sharing arrangement involves information related to Houthi activities being passed to Riyadh through American channels.
The reported arrangement has not been independently confirmed in the information available, and Saudi authorities have not publicly acknowledged such cooperation.
Trump sees renewed prospects for Abraham Accords
The US president also suggested that efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords could gain fresh momentum.
Trump said the prospects of Saudi participation in the US-backed normalisation framework might be stronger than before.
The Abraham Accords, launched during Trump’s first presidency, established a framework for normalising relations between Israel and several Arab countries.
Securing Saudi Arabia’s participation has remained a major objective of Trump’s Middle East diplomatic strategy.
However, Riyadh has yet to establish formal relations with Israel, and no new normalisation agreement has been announced.
Saudi-Israel relations remain a key US diplomatic objective
The possibility of Saudi-Israeli normalisation has long been linked to wider negotiations involving regional security, economic cooperation and US-Saudi relations.
Trump has previously connected discussions over a potential US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with efforts to secure diplomatic normalisation between Riyadh and Israel.
His latest remarks suggest that Washington continues to view closer Saudi-Israeli engagement as a potential component of its broader Middle East strategy.
Nevertheless, any move towards direct security cooperation would require political decisions by the governments involved.
For now, Trump’s statements reflect his expectations rather than a confirmed change in Saudi policy.
The absence of an official Saudi response leaves uncertainty over whether Riyadh would consider accepting Israeli assistance against the Houthis or whether such cooperation could contribute to wider diplomatic normalisation.