Saudi Arabia Discovers the Value of a Strong Israel
written by Fiamma Nirenstein September 18, 2026 1.1K views
Mohammed bin Salman thought he could stay out of the region’s widening war. Now the Houthi threat is pushing Riyadh back toward Israel.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the brilliant young leader who has fascinated many with his vision of modernizing the heart of Sunni Islam, is changing course.
Saudi Arabia is home to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam, and its immense oil reserves have made the kingdom one of the most powerful countries in the Arab world. Mohammed bin Salman has been courted by U.S. President Donald Trump and by Israel, which has long sought normalization with Riyadh.
The crown prince thought he could navigate the region’s wars as he pleased. But the logic of this conflict is proving inexorable.
It is impossible to remain indifferent when Iranian missiles and drones threaten your country. And now the Houthis, the brutal Yemeni proxy of an increasingly desperate Iran, have brought the danger directly to Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed bin Salman thought he could remain outside the war. Instead, he finds himself in it up to his neck.
The Houthi offensive has exposed Saudi vulnerabilities, while attacks on the kingdom and the threat to shipping around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have demonstrated once again the reach of Iran and its proxies. Riyadh is looking for help. (Reuters)
The lesson for Mohammed bin Salman should be clear: Alliances matter most when allies are prepared to confront a common enemy.
Only last month, Saudi Arabia signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement with Turkey and Pakistan. The pact provides that an armed attack against one of the three countries will be considered an attack against them all.
It sounded impressive. Reality has proved more complicated.
Turkey has no desire to be drawn into a confrontation with Iran, while Pakistan has sent mixed signals about what the agreement actually requires. Islamabad initially indicated that continued Houthi aggression could activate the pact, but later said that no military response had been discussed. And Pakistan is far away.
The stakes extend far beyond Saudi Arabia. Through its proxies, Iran has now extended its reach to another of the world’s strategic maritime choke points. Bab el-Mandeb is the gateway to the Red Sea and, ultimately, the Suez Canal—a vital artery of trade between Europe and Asia. Houthi control of the strait therefore threatens not only Riyadh but Egypt, Europe and global commerce.
That also helps explain Mohammed bin Salman’s turn to Egypt. Cairo has an enormous economic interest in keeping the Red Sea route open and traffic flowing through the Suez Canal. The Saudi crown prince traveled there this week seeking support from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as the Houthi attacks intensified.
Saudi Arabia has also sought assistance from other allies as its missile-defense resources come under pressure. The United States continues to provide intelligence cooperation while stopping short of direct military intervention.
And then there is Israel.
Israel does not disappear when circumstances become difficult. It is not going anywhere. And Saudi Arabia and Israel face the same enemies: Iran and the Houthis.
Reports now suggest that Riyadh has sought Israeli intelligence assistance through U.S. Central Command as it confronts the growing Houthi threat.
That is significant.
Mohammed bin Salman has spent years dangling the possibility of relations with Israel, always conditionally and often ambiguously. But reality is stronger than diplomatic games.
On one side are Iran and its proxies. On the other are countries with a common interest in stopping them.
The Houthis have advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and threatened the Bab el-Mandeb, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. Saudi Arabia said this week that it intercepted a Houthi drone near Mecca, although the Houthis denied targeting the holy city.
They have demonstrated that there are few limits to their ambitions.
Mecca and Medina are threatened. The Red Sea is threatened. International shipping is threatened. And Jerusalem has long been in the sights of Iran and its proxies.
Mohammed bin Salman is discovering something that should have been obvious all along: Geography, common interests and common enemies are ultimately more powerful than diplomatic maneuvering.
When Iran and the Houthis threaten the region and its stability, Saudi Arabia must decide whom it can actually count on.
Riyadh is drawing closer to Israel again because, in a dangerous region, strength commands respect—and Israel has shown that it’s willing to use it against its enemies.
The War between Israel the Gulf Arab Countries and Iran will eventually bring a degree of Peace to the Middle East by removing the greatest sponsor of state terror in the region.
Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States will form a prosporus King of the South with Israel’s economy benefitting all. This is not surprising to Bible Students as we fully expect to see this development based on Bible Prophecy that has foretold the
alignment of Nations in the “latter days”. The Bible describes a King of the North and a King of the South Geo-political Alignment of Nations in the last days prior to the last battle of mankind and the intervention of Christ to established God’s Kingdom on Earth Forever. We read of this in Daniel Chapter 11:
“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”
You can read more about this in this article: Alignment of Nations in the Latter Days
