They see it as a strategic threat capable of weakening Tehran’s influence, isolating Hamas and Hezbollah, and creating a powerful regional bloc aligned with the United States.

For Iran, closer relations between Jerusalem and Riyadh could connect Israel’s military and technological capabilities with Saudi Arabia’s political, religious and economic weight. Such cooperation could also strengthen regional intelligence sharing, missile defense and joint efforts against Iranian terrorism.

Hamas has similarly regarded Saudi-Israeli normalization as a direct danger. A formal agreement would demonstrate that Arab states can pursue their own national interests without allowing the Palestinian issue—or Hamas—to veto regional progress. The October 7 massacre was widely understood as an attempt to derail the advancing normalization process and drag the region back into conflict.