Israel provided Saudi Arabia with intelligence assistance in its ongoing battle against the Houthis in Yemen, following covert contacts between the two countries mediated by the U.S. military’s Central Command, according to a report Sunday evening.
Diplomatic officials in the Middle East said the Israeli intelligence was intended to help Riyadh determine the locations of Houthi forces and better understand their intentions. The contacts were reportedly conducted through CENTCOM amid escalating Houthi attacks and the growing threat to Saudi Arabia and regional shipping routes.
The development comes after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly appealed to countries in the region for urgent assistance following a series of setbacks against the Houthis. Saudi Arabia’s request to Israel was made indirectly through CENTCOM and included a request for intelligence and other assistance in confronting the threat around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Over the past week, the Houthis have intensified attacks against Saudi Arabia, including drone strikes targeting oil pipelines and pumping facilities. The attacks reportedly caused a partial shutdown of a major pipeline. The Houthis have also seized several strategically important islands in the Red Sea and barred Saudi vessels from passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Security officials cited in the report said the developments have raised concerns elsewhere in the region that the United States could eventually reach understandings with Iran and the Houthis while leaving Saudi Arabia and other regional countries exposed to continued attacks.
Israel’s assistance reportedly draws on intelligence capabilities and experience it has developed in the region. The IDF previously assisted the United States in building intelligence on Iranian forces around the Strait of Hormuz, and that expertise is now reportedly being used to track Houthi forces as well.
Meanwhile, former Houthi spokesman Ali al-Bukhaiti told N12 that Iran is deeply involved in the Houthis’ recent advances, warning that Houthi control of Bab el-Mandeb effectively gives Tehran influence over another strategically critical waterway.
A senior Yemeni commentator similarly said that the Houthis could not have achieved their recent gains without Iranian assistance, claiming that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other Iranian experts are assisting the group with military capabilities, missile launches and operational planning.
Al-Bukhaiti warned that control of Bab el-Mandeb could also significantly strengthen the Houthis in any future confrontation with Israel by making it easier for the group to receive additional weapons and foreign assistance.
He further claimed that the Houthis’ ambitions extend beyond their confrontation with Israel and the United States, saying the group seeks to establish itself as a regional power and ultimately pressure countries using the Bab el-Mandeb shipping route to pay for passage.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
