If reports are true that Benjamin Netanyahu tried to offer Israeli involvement on Saudi Arabia’s side in the war in Yemen, this should not be read as help. It should be read as a political and strategic trap.

Israel does not want to save Saudi Arabia from Yemeni missiles. It wants to insert itself into the heart of Gulf security, connect this role to normalization, and open a new door for political and military pressure. This is exactly what Saudi Arabia should reject.

The idea is simple. If Israel enters the Yemen war under the title of “helping Saudi Arabia”, it does not give Riyadh extra strength. It gives Saudi Arabia’s opponents a golden narrative: Saudi Arabia is no longer fighting alone; it is fighting as part of an American-Israeli front. This would damage Saudi Arabia’s political legitimacy, strengthen the Houthi narrative, and open the door to wider escalation.

The problem is that Israel has not been able to protect itself from the Yemen front. When Yemeni missiles and drones targeted Israel, Tel Aviv did not stop them. It struck Hodeidah port, but the attacks continued, the Red Sea remained unstable, and Eilat port entered a deep crisis. If Israel cannot protect itself from this front, how can it claim that it can protect Saudi Arabia?

The problem is that Israel has not been able to protect itself from the Yemen front. When Yemeni missiles and drones targeted Israel, Tel Aviv did not stop them. It struck Hodeidah port, but the attacks continued, the Red Sea remained unstable, and Eilat port entered a deep crisis. If Israel cannot protect itself from this front, how can it claim that it can protect Saudi Arabia?

READ: The Gulf needs a security order that Washington cannot switch off

This is why the Israeli “gift” is not a gift. It is a burden.

Saudi Arabia does not need Israeli aircraft to solve its problem with Yemen. It........

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