Israel and Saudi Arabia held talks mediated by US Central Command aimed at helping Riyadh defend itself against the Houthi military through intelligence assistance, Walla reported on Tuesday, citing diplomatic sources in the Middle East.

Axar.az informs, citing The Jerusalem Post, the Houthi military has intensified its attacks against the Saudi regime over the past week, including a drone attack on oil pipelines and pumping facilities that led to a partial shutdown of activity along the main pipeline. The Houthis also carried out an attack against Saudi civilians who were inside a mosque and nearby buildings not far from the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border.

At the same time, the Houthi military seized several strategically located islands along the Red Sea and barred Saudi vessels from passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, imposing what the sources described as an economic and diplomatic blockade on Saudi Arabia.

Diplomatic sources in the region said Saudi Arabia and Israel held talks mediated by CENTCOM in order to help the Saudis protect themselves. The IDF has already demonstrated intelligence and operational capabilities in the maritime arena around the Strait of Hormuz, assisting the Americans in building layers of intelligence on the locations of Iranian forces.

The sources said the Saudi request for assistance was likely focused on intelligence support to build a broader picture of Houthi military deployments in the area and identify potential plans for future operations.

Israel and Saudi Arabia share several security interests regardless of normalization, and there is optimism that a roadmap can soon be presented under which the sides would reach a diplomatic agreement. The agreement is viewed as highly important, particularly amid growing threats in the Middle East that highlight the urgent need to establish priorities.