Israel Feeds Saudis Intel via CENTCOM as Houthi Attacks Escalate

Israel has begun providing intelligence to Saudi Arabia through the United States as Riyadh battles an escalating Houthi offensive that has struck deep inside the kingdom and threatened the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to multiple Israeli reports Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia initially turned to the United States for assistance, prompting Washington to approach Israel, which began transferring intelligence to Riyadh through U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Israel’s Kan News reported, citing a diplomat from a regional country.

The Saudi request included intelligence and other assistance aimed at preventing the Iran-backed Houthis from blocking Bab el-Mandeb, the critical waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, according to Israel Hayom, which reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approached Israel indirectly through CENTCOM while seeking assistance from other regional countries.

The cooperation comes as the Houthis have expanded their campaign against Saudi Arabia, launching missiles and drones deep into the kingdom while advancing along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and around Bab el-Mandeb.

Warning sirens sounded Tuesday in Mecca, Jeddah and Taif as the confrontation escalated, while Saudi and Yemeni forces continued striking Houthi positions in Yemen. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed Saudi warplanes carried out 52 strikes over the previous 24 hours and warned that the attacks “will not go unanswered.”

The intelligence cooperation appears to be part of a broader U.S.-led effort to coordinate a regional response to the Houthi threat.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper met with bin Salman in Jeddah on Monday, where the two discussed regional developments amid the escalating Houthi campaign.

The U.S. command’s involvement extended to Cairo on Tuesday, according to Kan News, which reported that CENTCOM representatives participated in security discussions surrounding bin Salman’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and proposed establishing a joint regional mechanism to assist Saudi Arabia against the Houthis.

Sisi and bin Salman publicly stressed the need to secure navigation through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb during their meeting, with the Egyptian president backing Saudi measures to protect the kingdom’s security and stability.

The emerging regional coordination follows a gathering last week in Germany, where Cooper brought together the military chiefs of Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt for the first such meeting since the Iran conflict began in February.

The command said it “hosted senior military leaders from eight nations during a scheduled conference in Germany,” where the commanders discussed “opportunities for enhancing security cooperation in the Middle East.”

Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir briefed the commanders on Israeli operations across multiple fronts, while Cooper discussed expanding commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and assured participants that U.S. forces would remain in the region despite Iranian attacks on American bases, according to Axios. The discussions also included potential Israeli intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assistance to Saudi Arabia against the Houthis.

The developing cooperation comes as Saudi Arabia’s recently signed defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan faces its first major regional test.

A regional diplomat told Kan that the pact is not expected to be activated against the Houthis at this stage, explaining that it does not necessarily require an automatic military response and that the Houthis are not currently regarded as an existential threat to Saudi Arabia. Turkey and Pakistan have condemned the attacks but have not intervened militarily.

An Israeli security official offered a broader assessment of what the cooperation could mean for the kingdom’s regional alignment, telling i24 News that the crisis had created an opportunity for Israel to demonstrate the value of its partnership to Riyadh.

“You asked for assistance, and Israel knew how to help. Know who your friends are,” the official said.

Pointing to Saudi Arabia’s new defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan, the official argued that “the latest escalation proves that, in practice, Erdogan’s defense pact isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”

“Erdogan has handed Israel a golden opportunity to show the Saudis who they should align with,” the official continued.

The same assessment extended to the prospect of Saudi-Israeli normalization, with the official arguing that their shared interests could reopen a path toward expanding the Abraham Accords and saying Riyadh was now reassessing its course.

The emerging cooperation is particularly significant because Saudi Arabia and Israel have no formal diplomatic relations, despite years of U.S.-backed efforts to secure a normalization agreement between the two countries.

For Riyadh, the immediate concern remains military. The Houthis have seized territory along Yemen’s western coast and strengthened their position around Bab el-Mandeb while attacks on Saudi territory and energy infrastructure have increased pressure on the kingdom to push back against the group and protect the strategic Red Sea passage.

The growing pressure around Bab el-Mandeb comes as the United States expands commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz following months of Iranian attempts to obstruct the waterway. U.S. officials told Axios that roughly 40 ships are now moving through the strait each day under American guidance and protection, carrying about 14 million barrels of oil a day, while Saudi Arabia has significantly increased tanker traffic through Hormuz as fighting around the Red Sea intensifies.

The continuing contest over the strait flared again Monday after Iranian boats attempted to seize a U.S. unmanned surface vessel patrolling Hormuz. Capt. Tim Hawkins said the attempt failed after CENTCOM “forcefully responded” and that the vessel remained under U.S. operational control. Axios, citing a U.S. official, reported that the American vessel fired two missiles in response, destroying both Iranian boats and killing most of those aboard.