From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 16, 2026
Trump says Israel has ‘been very helpful to Saudi Arabia’ in fight against Houthis
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
US President Donald Trump suggests that Saudi Arabia is accepting help from Israel in its battle against Yemen’s Houthi rebel group.
Asked by a reporter if Riyadh should be open to such assistance, Trump says, “I do, I think they will — Israel’s been very helpful to Saudi Arabia, and yeah they certainly would do that, yeah.”
The Saudis are currently facing unprecedented Houthi attacks, including two deadly airport strikes last weekend. Israel has itself faced years of Houthi ballistic missile attacks which it largely succeeded in thwarting, though some still proved deadly.
In an interview on Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked if the Saudis had asked for help, and said: “There are barely any Middle Eastern states that aren’t asking us for help.”
Asked by the reporter if long-sought Saudi-Israel normalization could be back on the table, Trump says: “Yeah, I think so, maybe more than ever.”
Jerusalem and Riyadh were considered close to inking a deal before the Hamas October 7 attack, though both sides have still expressed interest in pursuing such ties.
Q: Do you think Saudi Arabia should accept the help that Israel is offering to fight the Houthis?
TRUMP: Yeah I do, sure. Israel has been very helpful to Saudi Arabia. pic.twitter.com/wFl4ASaiT0
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 16, 2026
The Times of Israel Community.