Israel-Saudi rapprochement said to face setback due to Khashoggi murder fallout

The ongoing secret rapprochement with Saudi Arabia has reportedly been hindered by the international backlash over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The US-based writer was killed on October 2 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, with the CIA concluding Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was at least aware of the plan.

In the international fallout, two key aides to the crown prince have lost their jobs.

Citing several unnamed officials “familiar with the matter,” the WSJ report says that both sacked officials — Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed al-Assiri — were deeply involved in Riyadh’s outreach to Israel, which has now faced a setback.

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Qahtani, a media adviser, reportedly ordered Saudi press to soften Israel’s image as an enemy, and his subordinate Assiri made several secret visits to the Jewish state — making him the highest-ranked Saudi official to visit the country. The discussions were said to focus on purchasing Israeli surveillance software.

The report adds that Mossad chief Yossi Cohen met Saudi officials several times during the past year. It says Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates regularly share intelligence information with one another on Iran and on transit through the Red Sea.