Transcript [00:00] Hey everybody. In this video, we are [00:02] going to get caught up on the Saudi [00:04] Arabia situation and their attempts to [00:07] deal with the Houthis. We're going to [00:09] talk about what's happened between Saudi [00:11] Arabia and Israel and the requests for [00:13] help from Israel. We're going to talk [00:16] about um how the Israeli public's [00:18] reacting to that, a little bit on oil [00:21] prices and then also how China and [00:24] Pakistan, two of Saudi Arabia's [00:27] ostensible close friends are handling [00:30] this. And uh yeah, so let's get right to [00:33] it. Let's pull up the headlines [00:35] and we'll start with this one from [00:36] today. Saudi Arabia Houthis exchange [00:38] blows as conflict escalates. [00:43] At least five people were killed in the [00:45] escalation between the Iranbacked Houthi [00:46] rebel group and the internationally [00:48] recognized Yemeni government supported [00:49] by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia accused [00:52] the Houthis of a cowardly strike on [00:54] Mecca, the holiest city in Islam and the [00:57] site of the Haj and Umra pilgrimages [00:59] this week. The rebel group denied the [01:02] accusations. According to [01:05] the Al-Misra TV channel backed by the [01:07] Houthis, one civilian was killed in the [01:09] town of Abs in the northwest with the [01:12] channel later reporting that three [01:13] children were killed by strikes carried [01:15] out by Yemen's internationally [01:17] recognized government. In Saudi Arabia, [01:19] one person was killed by shrapnel from a [01:21] down drone in the Mecca area. This was [01:24] the first reported death in Saudi Arabia [01:26] in the current escalation between the [01:27] two sides. Now, I want to say something [01:29] about the Houthi's denial. Here it is [01:33] interesting to me because the Houthis [01:35] traditionally don't deny things that [01:37] they do. It's one of the the one of the [01:40] things I've noticed. The Houthis tend to [01:42] be proud of their violence [01:45] and like, "Yeah, we're hitting you." And [01:47] they trash talk and we see a piece of [01:50] shrapnel hit someone in the Mecca area. [01:52] And it could be that the Saudis used [01:54] that as a pretext to say that the [01:56] Houthis attacked Mecca because remember [01:59] the Saudis are trying to get the rest of [02:01] the Muslim world, the Turks, the [02:04] Egyptians. We saw we just saw the the [02:06] crown prince MBS was in was in uh Egypt. [02:11] Well, what was it two days ago? [02:12] Yesterday or two days ago, trying to get [02:14] help from uh Cece. And we know the [02:17] frustration the Saudis have with the [02:18] Pakistanis. We'll get into that more at [02:20] the end of this video. [02:22] which is also a Muslim nation. And it [02:23] could be that the Saudis are trying to [02:25] rile up the the other Muslim nations [02:27] against the Houthis. Uh so I'm I'm going [02:30] to I'm calling I'm putting a question [02:32] mark on this whole idea that the Houthis [02:35] attacked Mecca. Okay, I'm just putting [02:37] that out there. Maybe we'll know the [02:39] truth one day, maybe we won't. Okay, now [02:41] I want to get into the Israel side of [02:43] things. So we're going to look at three [02:44] headlines here. Israel provided Saudi [02:46] Arabia with intel assistance as Houthi [02:50] attacks on Riyad's assets continue. [02:54] Israel and Saudi Arabia held talks [02:55] mediated by US Central Command aimed at [02:57] helping Riad defend itself against the [02:59] Houthi military through intelligence [03:02] assistance. A regional diplomat [03:03] confirmed to the Jerusalem Post on [03:05] Tuesday, a couple days ago. Notably, the [03:07] discussions follow a meeting between US [03:09] Sentcom Chief Admiral Brad Cooper and [03:12] Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister [03:14] Muhammad bin Salman al-Saud as well as [03:16] other Saudi officials. [03:19] Diplomatic sources in the region said [03:21] Saudi Arabia and Israel had held me [03:24] talks mediated by Sentcom to help the [03:27] Saudis protect themselves. The IDF has [03:29] already demonstrated intelligence and [03:31] operational capabilities in the maritime [03:33] area around the straight of Hormuz, [03:35] assisting the Americans in building [03:37] layers of intelligence on the locations [03:39] of Iranian forces. The Israelis have a [03:41] lot going on in that part of the world, [03:44] which is a big reason why you might [03:46] remember this way back last year when [03:48] the Israelis officially recognized [03:50] Somali land. And the Israelis have even [03:55] before that recognition but very much [03:57] since then have increased security [03:59] cooperation in Somali land which is [04:01] right down there by the straight of [04:02] Hormuz. The Israelis have assets down [04:03] there. The Saudi request for assistance [04:06] was likely focused on intelligence [04:07] support to build a broader picture of [04:10] Houthi military deployments in the area [04:12] and identify potential plans for future [04:15] operations. The sources said Saudi [04:16] Arabia also asked Britain for [04:18] assistance. Um I can't even imagine [04:20] asking Britain for military assistance [04:22] at this point and in in uh so they asked [04:25] for Britain for assistance in repelling [04:27] the Houthis from Baband Strait [04:30] and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham [04:32] has agreed to send advisors to assist [04:34] Saudi Arabia. Thank you very much. More [04:36] people to have coffee and say smart [04:38] things. But he has not yet committed to [04:40] sending any additional aid. [04:42] Okay. I don't know what aid Saudi needs. [04:44] They don't need money. They need they [04:46] need someone to fight their battles for [04:48] them. [04:49] And here's an interesting thing. How do [04:51] how does the Israeli public feel about [04:53] Israel helping the Saudis? Majority [04:56] believe Israel should help Saudis [04:58] against Houthis. And then it talks about [05:00] Likood because this is a report on a [05:02] poll. And in addition to doing polling [05:04] for the election, which we're not going [05:06] to be talking about in this video, they [05:07] also asked them about assistance to the [05:09] Saudis. This is released today. Okay, so [05:11] this is this is very current. A majority [05:14] of Israelis, 54% believe that Israel [05:17] should assist Saudi Arabia in its [05:19] struggle against the Houthis. A Friday [05:21] MAF poll, that's today. [05:24] 38% said such assistance should be [05:26] conditioned on a normalization agreement [05:28] between Israel and Saudi Arabia, while [05:30] 16% supported assisting the kingdom [05:33] against the Iranbacked Yemeni terror [05:34] group, even without an immediate [05:36] diplomatic return. 26% opposed Israeli [05:40] assistance to Saudi Arabia while 20% [05:43] said they did not know. Now, [05:47] I've been thinking about this. What do I [05:49] think about this? Cuz at first I [05:52] thought, yeah, we should tell them to go [05:55] go take a hike, go pound sand. Like, if [05:57] they're going to pressure us to accept a [05:59] Palestinian state and all that and and [06:02] uh you know, why should we help them? [06:04] Let's exchange helping them for [06:06] normalization. But I'm off I'm actually [06:08] thinking that if Israel helps them even [06:12] without the normalization and makes it [06:14] very public that they're helping the [06:16] Saudis. Let's make it ve like make it [06:19] really public that Israel is helping the [06:20] Saudis. Let the whole world know that [06:23] Turkey and Pakistan who signed this [06:26] defense pack with Saudi Arabia, this [06:28] mutual defense mutual defense pack. [06:30] We'll get into it more in a bit when we [06:32] talk about Pakistan later in this video. [06:35] But let let the let let it be on display [06:38] that those countries were either [06:40] impotent or just betrayed them and that [06:43] the Israelis stepped in and dealt with [06:46] it. Let the Israelis come in and solve [06:47] the Houthi problem [06:49] because even without the normalization, [06:51] it still pushes things forward in a very [06:53] significant way. I that's where I'm [06:55] leaning right now. But I also understand [06:57] the position that says we should [06:58] exchange it only for normalization. So, [07:01] but you see where the sentiment of the [07:03] of the Israeli people is. Yeah. Over [07:05] half want to help the Saudis. But of [07:08] that 54%, [07:10] the lion's share of it, [07:13] right? 38% of 38 out of that 54 want it [07:17] conditioned on normalization. [07:19] Interesting. What do you think? Let me [07:21] know in the comments. It's a good [07:23] question. And then we see this. Israeli [07:26] aid against the Houthis will not advance [07:28] normalization. Saudi official says what? [07:32] Saying it in advance. This is from [07:33] yesterday. Israeli assistance to Saudi [07:36] Arabia in confronting the Houthis will [07:37] not prompt Riad to soften its conditions [07:40] for normalizing relations with Israel. A [07:42] Saudi official familiar with the matter [07:44] told Khan News on Wednesday. The [07:47] official said the kingdom's position [07:48] remains unchanged. Progress towards [07:50] normalization depends on resolving the [07:52] Palestinian issue. From Riyad's [07:54] perspective, limited security [07:55] cooperation against the Houthis cannot [07:57] replace that political requirement. [08:00] Saudi Arabia is not currently seeking a [08:02] large-scale offensive against the [08:04] Houthis. Instead, Riad reportedly favors [08:07] a coordinated international effort to [08:09] reduce the group's capabilities [08:11] gradually, beginning with attempts to [08:13] regain control of areas recently seized [08:15] near the Babo Mandab Strait. Now, [08:19] here's my thought on this normalization [08:21] issue. So, this goes back to a [08:23] conversation I had with David Wormser on [08:26] the the day Trump was elected in 2024. [08:30] Okay? I interviewed him [08:32] for for Israel Nationalne.com. [08:36] I did a bunch of interviews that day uh [08:39] with different notable people about the [08:42] results of the election. [08:45] And in the conversation with Wormser, [08:48] we were talking about Saudi Arabia [08:49] because [08:52] in Trump's first term, he pivoted [08:53] towards Saudi Arabia and away from Iran. [08:56] And then the Biden administration [08:57] pivoted towards Iran and away from Saudi [08:59] Arabia. So I asked Wormser about that [09:00] and about normalization. Is it back on [09:02] the table? And he said something that [09:04] I've never forgotten. He said, [09:07] and it surprised me. He said, I don't [09:09] think Israel should should be, you know, [09:11] should be interested in normalization [09:13] with Saudi Arabia. I don't think we [09:14] should, you know, because if it's going [09:15] to, he said, in order to get [09:17] normalization with Saudi Arabia, Israel [09:19] is going to have to concede on [09:21] something. It's going to have to give [09:22] certain things up. [09:24] And why should Israel give up anything [09:26] to get normalization with Saudi Arabia? [09:30] Israel already has a working [09:32] relationship with Saudi Arabia behind [09:34] the scenes. It already has security [09:36] cooperation. Saudi Arabia poses no [09:38] threat to Israel. What's wrong with the [09:41] status quo? Yes, it's true. You don't [09:43] have all of the other things like the [09:45] trade and other things that go along [09:46] with it, but a lot of some stuff is [09:49] already happening quietly. And the [09:51] question is how bad is the current [09:53] situation? [09:55] It's pretty good with Saudi Arabia. [09:59] What's the is the difference between [10:01] that and a normalized relationship with [10:03] Saudi Arabia? It's not it doesn't mean [10:05] Saudis are going to be making tourist [10:06] trips to Israel. Even with the UAE that [10:08] we have a great relationship with, it's [10:10] not exactly, you know, it's not exactly [10:13] leading to Emiratis visiting Israel. So, [10:15] what kind of normalization are we [10:16] talking about? [10:18] So he basically argued that he doesn't [10:20] think that the delta between where we [10:22] are now with the Saudi relationship and [10:23] what normalization looks like is worth [10:25] ma any major concessions concessions by [10:27] Israel and the status quo was better [10:31] which it was on my mind when I say that [10:33] maybe what Israel should do is actually [10:35] help the Saudis be public about it even [10:39] though it doesn't lead to normalization [10:40] because then the Saudis look like even [10:41] bigger fools. They're taking Israeli [10:43] help and making demands and Israel can [10:45] just ignore the demands and say fine, we [10:46] won't normalize, but we're going to take [10:48] care of the Houthi threat for you [10:50] because your Pakistani and Turkish [10:51] friends won't. Interesting question. I'm [10:53] not sure. I'm not convinced of what I'm [10:54] saying. I'm interested in your thoughts. [10:56] Anyway, speaking of Dr. Worms, we are [10:58] having a trip to Israel March 7th [11:01] through 14th. Israel behind the [11:03] headlines. Tour eight days with the [11:05] people making the decisions. Private [11:06] meetings at the Knesset. Briefings on [11:08] the Syrian and Lebanese borders. Lunch [11:10] with leaders of Samaria and and the [11:12] Golan, including the Drews community. [11:14] This is the Israel that shapes the news [11:16] before the news reports it. And you will [11:17] see it with the people who live it. This [11:19] is an exclusive luxury five-star trip. [11:23] We're limiting the number to under 20 [11:24] participants. Click the link in the [11:26] description of the video if you want to [11:28] know more. really fascinating uh uh uh [11:32] and exciting opportunity to spend eight [11:35] days with none other than Dr. David [11:37] Wormser touring the country and having [11:38] these conversations. Should be great. We [11:40] already uh have uh quite a number of [11:43] spots. It is filling up. So, uh check it [11:45] out if you're interested at all in that. [11:48] Now, oil prices fall for a third day on [11:50] Saudi Arabia supply hopes. US crude [11:53] briefly dips below 100. So, that's good [11:55] news. This was from yesterday. Oil [11:58] prices fell on Friday as investors well [12:00] or today as investors weighed fresh [12:03] strikes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's [12:05] Iranbacked Houthi Iranbacked Houthis [12:07] against signs that additional Saudi [12:09] crude could reach global markets and [12:11] help ease supply concerns. Okay, so it's [12:14] not hurting so much is the point of this [12:15] story. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis [12:17] exchanged fresh attacks across their [12:19] border on Thursday, raising qu raising [12:22] concerns that the widening Middle East [12:23] conflict could further disrupt energy [12:25] supplies already strained because of the [12:28] Iran war. Right. Still, reports that [12:31] Saudi Arabia has found alternative ways [12:33] to deliver some crude shipments to Asian [12:35] buyers via Oman have helped ease fears [12:39] of a more severe supply disruption from [12:41] the closure of a key pipeline after the [12:43] Houthi attacks on it. [12:46] ah [12:48] through Oman, right? Because Saudi [12:50] Arabia borders on Oman. Let's pull that [12:52] up on a map. [12:56] I should have set this up before, but we [12:58] might as well. [13:00] So, here's Oman and here's Saudi Arabia. [13:03] So, what So, apparently Saudi Arabia has [13:05] a new workaround getting the oil into [13:07] Oman and then out this way. So bypassing [13:11] Hormuz and bypassing [13:15] and bypassing Babal Mandeb. Okay. So [13:17] that's the so that news of that [13:20] workaround is is uh boosting oil prices. [13:25] Improved logistics for Saudi crude [13:27] exports have reduced the market's [13:28] assessment of how much supply is at [13:30] risk. That's the point. Okay. So [13:34] uh but but of course look you listen the [13:36] Middle East supply lines still remain [13:38] vulnerable. You never know what can [13:39] change, but that's a workaround. Very [13:42] important. Um, oil prices are not being [13:45] affected by the Baba Mandep thing as [13:47] much as as much as you'd think. Uh, [13:50] that's the that's the point of that [13:52] story. And now we get into the [13:54] diplomatic side of things. China [13:56] pressing Iran to help reign in the [13:58] Houthis after Saudi appeal, sources say. [14:00] Interesting because Iran really, of all [14:02] of Iran's friends, there's none that [14:04] Iran needs more than China. So the fact [14:07] that China is pressing Iran because we [14:09] saw Pakistan the other day pressering [14:11] Iran also to reign in the Houthis but [14:13] that I had less faith in. But with China [14:16] pressing them that's pretty significant [14:17] in my opinion. China has privately asked [14:19] Thran to help reign in Yemen's Houthis [14:21] after an appeal to Beijing by Saudi [14:23] Arabia following the Iranbacked group's [14:26] military blitz in the past week. [14:28] According to three Iranian sources [14:30] familiar with the matter, Beijing wants [14:32] Iran to use its influence with the [14:34] Houthis to help prevent the conflict [14:35] spreading further across energy routes [14:37] on which China, the world's second [14:39] largest economy, depends. The sources [14:41] say Thran's response was that stability [14:44] and peace in the region depends on [14:45] ending the US-Israeli war in Iran. In [14:47] other words, they're taking a hard line [14:49] even against the Chinese, which is [14:50] interesting. Let's see how long that [14:52] lasts and how they behave going forward. [14:55] And this is the comic relief of this [14:58] video, but it actually is serious. [15:01] Our commitment to Saudi security is [15:03] unconditional. Pakistan military [15:05] spokesman. Now remember, let's set this. [15:07] Let's set the table here. [15:10] Egypt and Pakistan have [15:13] defense agreements. When I say [15:14] agreements plural, it's not just this [15:16] Mecca agreement. Let's read the piece [15:18] and you'll see. But but it's so absurd. [15:21] they're not lifting a finger to help [15:23] Saudi Arabia despite these agreements [15:25] and now now their spokesman says and [15:28] this is this is from today says that [15:30] they're well we'll see what he says [15:32] Pakistan will go to any extent to defend [15:35] Saudi Arabia against attack any extent [15:37] except actually doing anything its [15:39] military spokesman told Arab news on [15:41] Thursday and as escalating Houthi [15:43] strikes test the new collective defense [15:45] agreements linking the nuclear armed [15:47] South Asian state to the kingdom the [15:49] pledge follows a wave of recent missile [15:51] and drone attacks by the Houthis on [15:53] Saudi cities. Quote, Pakistan stands [15:56] fully with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [15:59] both diplomatically and physically. [16:01] Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Shri, [16:03] Director General of Interervices, public [16:05] relations, the the military's media [16:07] wing. Basically, he's the military [16:08] spokesman. He he told Arab News, quote, [16:11] and I would like to underscore here the [16:13] word physically. We will go to any [16:14] extent except actually doing anything. [16:17] It's crazy. There should be no doubt on [16:20] that. He added, "We will continue to [16:21] defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [16:23] against any aggression, except we're [16:26] not." Shadri's language was was more [16:30] forceful than Islamabad's public [16:32] formulation last week when the Foreign [16:34] Office said that no Pakistani military [16:36] response was being discussed under the [16:38] Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, a pact [16:40] under which an armed attack on Pakistan, [16:42] Saudi Arabia, or Turkey, is considered [16:45] an attack on all, while adding that [16:47] Islamabad would act when the time comes. [16:50] So, this new statement that, oh, we're [16:52] totally committed to your defense, uh, [16:54] is not the same as what they said just [16:56] last week that they're not going to lift [16:57] a finger. The pact signed on August 7th, [17:01] intended to strengthen collective [17:02] deterrence among the three countries and [17:05] built on a strategic mutual defense [17:07] agreement signed by Pakistan and Saudi [17:10] Arabia in September 2025, which [17:13] similarly treats aggression against [17:15] either country as an attack on both. You [17:18] understand Pakistan is just throwing [17:20] their strategic mutual defense agreement [17:22] with Saudi Arabia from last year out the [17:24] window. They're throwing the Mecca [17:26] agreement out the window, but then [17:27] they're making statements that they're [17:29] totally committed to Saudi defense. [17:31] Neither agreement's full operational [17:33] provisions have been made public [17:34] [laughter] because there aren't really [17:36] any, leaving unanswered questions about [17:38] what kind of military response they [17:40] require. Pakistan already has a [17:42] substantial military presence in Saudi [17:44] Arabia. In May, Islamabad deployed [17:46] around 8,000 troops, a squadron of JF17 [17:50] fighter jets, drones, and an HQ9 air [17:54] defense system to the kingdom. Reuters [17:56] reported at the time, quote, "Our [17:59] commitment to Saudi security is [18:00] unconditional," Shriri said, adding that [18:03] it stems from an emotive, deeprooted, [18:05] historical, and unbreakable bond between [18:08] the two countries people's, militaries, [18:10] and political leaderships. [18:14] but they're not doing anything to help [18:16] them. It's just it's absolute comedy. [18:19] And meanwhile, the Israelis are like, [18:20] "Yeah, we'll help you out." And then [18:22] the, you know, with some intelligence [18:24] and the Israeli public is even somewhat [18:26] behind it. Very interesting situation. [18:28] Here's here's my overall thought here [18:30] and I'm going to go back to what I said [18:32] before. If Israel right now helps the [18:34] Saudis deal with the Houthis [18:37] if they go ahead and do that, it is an [18:40] eternal shame on these on these powerful [18:44] Muslim nations. And I think that Israel [18:47] should do it even if they're not going [18:49] to get the normalization out of it [18:51] because it moves the needle in certain [18:53] ways in terms of the public perception, [18:54] the understanding that Israel is a [18:56] regional superpower. [18:59] Why not act? I that's that's my feeling [19:02] here. I'm sure there's other [19:03] calculations and people in the Israeli [19:04] government who know a whole lot more and [19:06] the defense establishment who know way [19:07] more than I do have good reasons for [19:10] whatever they're going to decide to do. [19:12] But from where I sit because I'm [19:14] thinking about about the politics and [19:16] the messaging and and you know where [19:19] this all goes diplomatically and I think [19:21] it would be an absolute win uh because [19:23] of what it would because the world's not [19:25] going to forget this and if Israel goes [19:28] ahead and does it it uh I don't know how [19:31] the Turks and the Pakistanis recover [19:33] from Israel bailing out the Saudis [19:35] against the Houthis. That's my thought [19:36] here. Let me know what you think in the [19:39] in the comments of this video. I'd love [19:40] to see and I do read as many of the [19:42] comments as I can and thank you so much [19:44] for participating in that way. Make sure [19:46] you're subscribed to this channel and [19:48] that uh that you're catching everything [19:51] we're putting up also on the Israel 365 [19:53] news channel as well. All right, God [19:55] bless. Thanks for watching.
