Trump says Israel has helped Saudi Arabia against Yemen's Houthis

US President Donald Trump said on Friday, October 16, 2026, that Israel has been assisting Saudi Arabia in its confrontation with the Houthi movement in Yemen, and that a normalisation agreement between the two countries may again be within reach. The Times of Israel reported that he made the remarks to journalists on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding the Marine One helicopter. The Jerusalem Post, citing a Reuters photo caption, said he was leaving for a rally in Georgia.

A reporter asked Trump whether Riyadh should be willing to take Israeli help against the Houthis. According to the Times of Israel, he answered that he thought it would, adding: "Israel's been very helpful to Saudi Arabia." Asked whether Saudi-Israeli normalisation could be revived, he replied, "Yeah, I think so, maybe more than ever." Ynet reported that Trump also confirmed, in response to a question, that Israel had offered Riyadh further assistance, and that he said the Saudis ought to accept it.

Who the Houthis are and why Saudi Arabia is involved

The Houthis are an armed rebel movement in Yemen, the country on Saudi Arabia's southern border at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. According to the Times of Israel, Saudi Arabia is currently under Houthi attack on a scale it has not previously faced, including two deadly strikes on airports the weekend before Trump spoke. The reports do not say which airports were hit or how many people were killed.

Israel has its own history with the group. The Times of Israel noted that Israel has absorbed years of Houthi ballistic missile fire, most of which it managed to intercept, though some attacks caused deaths.

What Netanyahu had already said

Trump's comments followed remarks earlier in the week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview on Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked whether the Saudis had requested Israeli help. According to the Times of Israel, he responded that nearly every country in the region is seeking assistance from Israel. That answer did not confirm a Saudi request specifically.

The Abraham Accords and Saudi normalisation

The Abraham Accords are a set of US-brokered agreements under which Israel established formal relations with Arab states. Saudi Arabia, the most influential Gulf state and home to Islam's holiest sites, has not joined them, and a Saudi-Israeli deal has long been a goal of both Israeli and American diplomacy. The Times of Israel described such normalisation as long sought. Trump's assessment that it could return "maybe more than ever" is his own view; none of the reports carries any response from Riyadh or Jerusalem to that statement.

According to a transcript posted by the Hebrew-language Telegram channel Abu Ali Express, Trump also said Saudi Arabia was very pleased with the support it was getting from both Israel and the United States. That line does not appear in the other reports.

How the outlets framed it

The reports differ in how firmly they describe Israel's role. Haaretz reported that Trump credited Israel with aiding the fight against the Houthis and described the accords with Saudi Arabia as "back on the table." Ynet and N12, an Israeli television news channel, likewise led with the statement that Israel had assisted Saudi Arabia. The Times of Israel was more cautious, saying Trump suggested that Saudi Arabia is accepting Israeli help. The Jerusalem Post's headline said Saudi Arabia may accept Israeli help, framing it as a possibility rather than something already under way.

Trump's own wording, as quoted, combined both: he said Israel has been very helpful to Saudi Arabia, while also saying he thought the Saudis would take the help, which leaves open whether he was describing past assistance, an offer, or both.

What the reports do not say

• What form any Israeli help to Saudi Arabia has taken, whether intelligence, air defence or something else, and when it began.
• Whether the Saudi government has confirmed receiving or requesting Israeli assistance. No Saudi reaction is reported.
• Whether the Israeli government has commented on Trump's remarks beyond Netanyahu's earlier interview.
• Whether any concrete talks on Saudi-Israeli normalisation are taking place, or whether Trump was offering a general assessment.
• Details of the Houthi airport strikes on Saudi Arabia, including locations and casualty figures.