“This is not a breakthrough, but another stage in the tightening relationship between the two countries,” said Michal Yaari, an expert on the Arab Gulf states.

Michal Yaari, an expert on the Arab Gulf states at Ben Gurion-University of the Negev and the Open University in the United Kingdom, told JNS that while there have been increasing reports of a close rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, “this is not a breakthrough, but another stage in the tightening relationship between the two countries.”

“Israel and Saudi Arabia share a common concern about the intensification of the Iranian threat [conventional and unconventional] and the spread of Iranian influence in the regional space,” Yaari stated. “Now that the nuclear agreement with Iran is receding and the ability to oversee the development of nuclear weapons is diminishing, the importance of cooperation is growing and emphasized.”

Originally reported by Israel Kasnett, JNS
Image source: Shutterstock