A thought on this:
The notion that Israeli and Saudi interests on Iran and the Houthis “overlap entirely” seems fundamentally wrong. Saudi Arabia loathes Iran’s regime and the Houthis, but Iran & Yemen are still its neighbors. Riyadh will always have the long term in mind
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Saudi Arabia's problems with Iran and the Houthis create opportunities for Israel to offer quiet support and rekindle the relationship, argues @Lazar_Berman in @TimesofIsrael. timesofisrael.com/as-iran-an…
Sep 21, 2026 · 11:36 AM UTC
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and must consider future relations and stability, for Hormuz & Bab Mandab reasons, but also others. That’s fundamental to Saudia Arabia’s outlook on Iran and Yemen, but it does not apply at all to Israel.
The divergence is on display right now: Israel saw it as being in its
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interest to start this war, so it did. But Riyadh opposed and warned against the war. Just as it had expected, it now suffers badly from that decision.
So while there’s important overlap, esp. in the short term, their outlooks diverge in a very fundamental sense. The Saudis
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seem to be very cognizant of that, and are wary of giving Israel a greater role in regional security.
That said, @Lazar_Berman’s point seems broadly correct. The situation does offer opportunities to Israel, since Saudi Arabia needs assistance urgently and has few options.
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