Trump says Saudi Arabia may accept Israeli help against Houthis, revive Abraham Accords

Trump publicly endorsed Saudi Arabia accepting help from Israel against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. His answer was direct: “Yes, I think so.” He said cooperation could help Saudi Arabia respond to intensifying attacks, while also signaling closer ties between two countries without formal diplomatic relations.

Trump said he believed Saudi Arabia would accept the assistance. When asked whether he had discussed the possibility with the kingdom, he answered, “I think they will do it. Absolutely.” He added that Israel had been very helpful to Saudi Arabia and said the kingdom would “certainly” accept support.

The comments came after Houthi attacks killed five people at a Saudi presidential palace complex and killed 17 at Riyadh’s airport. More than 300 people were injured at the airport. Trump also connected the proposed security cooperation with renewed efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords.

The article describes two Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia that together killed 22 people. The first struck the country’s presidential palace complex and killed five people. The second hit Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and killed 17 others.

The airport attack also injured more than 300 people. These figures show that the attacks caused significant loss of life and civilian harm in important Saudi locations. The article presents them as part of an intensifying campaign by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia.

The attacks help explain why Trump discussed possible Israeli assistance for Saudi Arabia. They also give immediate context to his comments about reviving efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords. The article does not provide further details about the victims, the weapons used, or the exact timing beyond identifying the palace attack as occurring Thursday and the comments as coming Friday.

The Houthis are a Yemeni armed and political movement involved in Yemen’s long-running civil war. They control substantial parts of Yemen and have fought forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Their role makes them a central actor in the country’s conflict, not merely an outside force attacking it.

The article identifies the Houthis as rebels in Yemen and reports that they intensified attacks against Saudi Arabia. Their strikes hit a Saudi presidential palace complex and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. This shows how fighting connected to Yemen’s conflict can reach important sites in a neighboring country.

The article does not explain the Houthis’ ideology, leadership, territorial control, or foreign relationships. Those details come from broader established knowledge about Yemen’s war. In the article’s immediate context, the Houthi attacks create pressure for Saudi Arabia to seek assistance, including the Israeli support Trump said it would likely accept.

The Abraham Accords are a group of US-brokered agreements that established or normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and participating Arab states. They matter because they created official links between countries that had previously lacked formal relations, including cooperation in areas such as diplomacy, trade, security, and travel.

The first agreements involved Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain in 2020. Morocco later joined the normalization process, while Sudan agreed to normalize relations, although its implementation has faced complications. Israel is the common party in these arrangements. The article calls the accords one of Trump’s greatest achievements.

Saudi Arabia has not established diplomatic relations with Israel and therefore has not joined the accords. Trump said the initiative could gain renewed momentum with the kingdom. His comments suggest that security cooperation and a possible US-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement could become linked to Saudi normalization with Israel.

Cooperation would be significant because Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations. If Riyadh accepted Israeli assistance against the Houthis, it would demonstrate that urgent security needs can produce practical cooperation despite the absence of official ties. It could also strengthen a wider regional alignment around threats affecting Saudi Arabia.

The immediate example is Israel offering support after Houthi attacks struck Saudi targets. Trump said Israel had been very helpful to Saudi Arabia and predicted that the kingdom would accept the assistance. This creates a possible mechanism for contact: shared security concerns could build trust and encourage wider diplomatic engagement.

The political implications could be broader than the specific attacks. Trump said efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords might have renewed momentum. Saudi participation would represent normalization with Israel, but the article does not state that Saudi Arabia had agreed to join or accept the assistance.

Saudi Arabia’s entry into the Abraham Accords would mean normalizing relations with Israel and establishing formal diplomatic ties. It would also place the kingdom within a US-backed framework for regional cooperation. The article describes Saudi participation as a major goal of Trump’s Middle East policy, but it does not say that Riyadh had agreed to join.

The proposed policy mechanism is a US-Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement. Trump previously said such an agreement was contingent on Saudi Arabia joining the accords and normalizing relations with Israel. In other words, access to US cooperation on civilian nuclear activities was linked to a diplomatic decision involving Israel.

If the effort resumed, Saudi Arabia would face connected choices on security, diplomacy, and nuclear cooperation. The article says Trump believed the accords could have renewed momentum, especially after Houthi attacks and possible Israeli assistance. It does not specify the agreement’s technical terms or a timetable for negotiations.

A regional proxy conflict occurs when rival states compete through armed groups operating in another country. The outside powers may provide money, weapons, training, or political support, while the local group pursues its own goals. This arrangement spreads a conflict beyond the country where the armed group is based.

An armed group can threaten neighbors by firing missiles, launching drones, attacking ships, or crossing borders. It may target airports, government facilities, cities, or other strategic sites. The neighboring state then faces danger without being in a formal war with the group’s outside supporters. The article’s example is the Houthis striking Saudi Arabia from the context of Yemen’s conflict.

The article does not use the term “proxy conflict” or identify the Houthis’ foreign backers. It does show the regional effect: Houthi attacks killed people at a Saudi presidential palace complex and Riyadh’s airport. Those attacks prompted discussion of Israeli assistance and wider Saudi diplomatic choices.