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Israel has begun providing intelligence to Saudi Arabia on Yemen’s Houthis through U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), as Riyadh seeks additional support against the group, according to Israeli media reports.
Israel's state broadcaster KAN reported that Saudi Arabia had asked the U.S. for help against the Houthis, with Washington then passing the request on to Tel Aviv. An unnamed diplomatic source told the broadcaster that Israel had started supplying intelligence to Saudi Arabia through the U.S.
The report further claimed that a security meeting took place Tuesday in Cairo during talks between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, with CENTCOM representatives attending.
The meeting included a proposal to establish a joint regional mechanism to support Saudi Arabia against the Houthis, and U.S. representatives offered Saudi officials intelligence cooperation on the Houthis, according to the officials cited by the report.
In a statement after the talks, the Egyptian presidency said the two leaders stressed the need to preserve freedom and security of navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, while el-Sissi expressed support for Saudi measures to protect its security and stability.
The talks also covered efforts to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution to the Yemen crisis, the presidency added.
Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 reported that CENTCOM spokesperson Tim Hawkins confirmed that military commanders from Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt met secretly in Germany under U.S. mediation.
The meeting focused on recent attacks by Iran and the Houthis, the report claimed. Participants reportedly included Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, commanders of the Arab countries' armed forces and CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper.
The report also suggested that Israel and Saudi Arabia were considering expanding military and intelligence cooperation against the Houthis with U.S. mediation.
Similar meetings have taken place in the past, but the report described this gathering as the first at this level since joint U.S.-Israeli attacks against Iran began on Feb. 28. Cooper reportedly told participants that the U.S. had no intention of withdrawing its forces from the Middle East.
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