Saudi Arabia and Israel: Closer Than Ever

A new phase of indirect security cooperation, forged in the shadow of Houthi attacks, is reshaping the strategic landscape between Riyadh and Jerusalem — and raising fresh questions for Pakistan’s place in the region.

By Aaliya Shah

September 23, 2026 · Opinion · 7 min read

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This year, relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel appear to have entered a new phase. The 2025 war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States had already made the situation in the Middle East more complicated and deepened divisions among countries across the region. Yet few could have anticipated that the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia would create another opening for closer Saudi-Israeli cooperation.

Through American mediation, Israel provided intelligence-sharing assistance to Saudi Arabia in response to the Houthi attacks. For Saudi Arabia, which is home to the two holiest cities in Islam, Mecca and Medina, the security implications were significant. Israel’s involvement demonstrated the importance of its intelligence and military capabilities in the region while simultaneously creating another channel of engagement with Riyadh.

The development is particularly significant because Saudi Arabia has long been viewed as a potentially decisive country in the expansion of the Abraham Accords.

From the UAE to Saudi Arabia

Israel’s relationship with the United Arab Emirates has now been established for six years. In September 2020, the UAE recognized Israel and signed the Abraham Accords, opening the door to expanding commercial, strategic, military, technological, and social cooperation.

Since then, the UAE has introduced major economic and institutional reforms and developed into a country whose rapid modernization and development are frequently cited as a model in the region.

Saudi Arabia, however, is a different and far more consequential case.

Before October 7, 2023, there had been growing speculation and diplomatic efforts surrounding possible Saudi recognition of Israel. That process was dramatically disrupted by Hamas’s October 7 attack. The attack plunged the region into another devastating conflict and made the prospect of Saudi-Israeli normalization considerably more complicated.

The war that followed has continued to shape the political calculations of Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United States, and other regional powers.

The Houthi Factor

The Houthi threat has nevertheless created a new dimension in Saudi-Israeli relations.

Saudi Arabia has faced attacks from the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, including missile and drone attacks. Israel, meanwhile, has extensive experience dealing with missile and drone threats and possesses advanced intelligence and defense capabilities.

This common security challenge could provide an additional reason for Saudi Arabia and Israel to communicate and cooperate, even while their broader political differences remain unresolved.

The question now is whether such security cooperation can develop into a wider relationship.

“Saudi Arabia and Israel, once separated by profound political and diplomatic barriers, now find themselves facing several common regional challenges.”

There is no guarantee that it will. The regional environment remains complicated, particularly because Iran and its partners have traditionally opposed normalization with Israel. Nevertheless, the regional landscape itself is changing.

Syria’s new leadership, for example, has sought international assistance to stabilize the country and end internal conflict. Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE have also developed different forms of engagement with Israel, while Jordan maintains longstanding relations with both Saudi Arabia and Western countries.

Bahrain generally follows Saudi Arabia’s strategic lead, while Qatar has maintained a more independent position and has at times played an important diplomatic role in regional conflicts.

Taken together, these developments suggest that the Middle East is undergoing a significant realignment.

Pakistan’s Emerging Role

Pakistan has also played an important role in the wider diplomatic developments involving Iran and the United States.

Pakistan’s position gives it a unique diplomatic identity. It is a Muslim-majority country, shares a border and long-standing relationship with Iran, but is not itself part of the Arab Middle East. At the same time, Pakistan has maintained a longstanding relationship with the United States.

These factors helped make Pakistan a potentially useful intermediary at a time when Iran was reluctant to rely on Middle Eastern states as mediators.

Pakistan’s economic relationship with the United States and international financial institutions, including the IMF, has also remained an important component of its foreign-policy calculations.

Russia and China, meanwhile, remain important partners for Iran and have their own strategic interests in the region.

Against this complicated background, attacks involving Saudi Arabia and the UAE have increased the importance of security cooperation and diplomatic engagement. For Riyadh, maintaining strong relationships with the United States remains important, while Israel’s intelligence and military capabilities provide another potential dimension of regional security cooperation.

This could ultimately have implications for the future of the Abraham Accords.

Will Saudi Arabia Recognize Israel?

The United States has repeatedly expressed interest in seeing Saudi Arabia establish formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Such a development would be highly significant because of Saudi Arabia’s religious, political, economic, and strategic importance in the Muslim and Arab worlds.

If Riyadh were to recognize Israel, it could create a new diplomatic dynamic across the region and potentially encourage other countries to deepen or establish their own relations with Israel.

For Israel, Saudi recognition would carry particular significance. Saudi Arabia is the custodian of Islam’s two holiest cities, and its decision would have implications far beyond bilateral relations.

For Saudi Arabia, however, the decision involves complex considerations, including the Palestinian issue, regional security, domestic public opinion, relations with Iran, and its relationship with the United States.

The Challenge for Pakistan

Any movement toward wider Arab-Israeli normalization could also place Pakistan in a difficult diplomatic position.

For decades, Pakistan’s political and religious discourse has largely been hostile toward Israel. Anti-Israel and, in some cases, anti-Jewish sentiments have become deeply rooted in parts of Pakistani society.

Changing this environment would not be simple. It would require greater emphasis on interfaith understanding, religious tolerance, education, and engagement with the Jewish community and other faith communities.

Such a transformation would likely require broader institutional and governmental support rather than being left solely to civil-society initiatives.

At the same time, the changing regional environment is forcing many countries to reconsider old assumptions.

Syria has sought international assistance to stabilize itself. Pakistan is also part of the U.S.-backed Gaza peace process. Across the region, there is growing recognition that the United States and Israel possess capabilities and influence that could be important to Gaza’s future security, reconstruction, and rehabilitation.

A New Regional Equation

The future of Saudi-Israeli relations will ultimately depend on much more than intelligence cooperation or shared security concerns.

The Palestinian question remains central. So do Saudi Arabia’s relations with Iran, its strategic partnership with the United States, Israel’s regional policies, and the broader future of the Abraham Accords.

Yet the direction of events is noteworthy.

Saudi Arabia and Israel, once separated by profound political and diplomatic barriers, now find themselves facing several common regional challenges. Their indirect cooperation over security threats, growing diplomatic contacts, and the continuing American push for normalization have brought the two countries into closer proximity than at any previous point.

Whether that proximity develops into formal diplomatic recognition remains an open question.

But one thing is increasingly clear: Saudi Arabia and Israel are closer than ever to a new chapter in their relationship.

About the Author — Aaliya Shah

Aaliya Shah has been associated with journalism for the past two decades. She is a prominent voice against antisemitism, a human rights activist, author of three books, and a columnist. She is the President of Project Save, an organization that advocates for the rights of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and women, speaks out against antisemitism, and works to promote change in extremist mindsets.