Israel shares Bab al-Mandab navigation intelligence with Saudi Arabia, Kan News says
The report comes as Saudi Arabia faces Houthi advances near the strait and an oil pipeline still offline after a September attack.
Published
Israel is providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence aimed at securing freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Kan News reported, citing a foreign source.
The strait has come under pressure as Houthi forces make territorial gains nearby. Yemen's Foreign Ministry has said maritime shipping remains safe but has accused Saudi Arabia of a serious escalation.
The intelligence sharing follows other recent moves to shore up Saudi defences. Britain's prime minister is considering further Saudi requests for help against the Houthis, including protection for oil infrastructure and support to block any advance on the strait. Military chiefs from the United States, Israel and Arab nations also held a secret meeting on Iran.
The cooperation fits a pattern of regional coordination already visible in those meetings and in Britain's commitments, but it does not change the immediate constraint on oil supply. Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, which normally carries 4 to 5 million barrels a day and serves as its bypass around the Strait of Hormuz, has been offline since a September attack, according to Reuters. That outage, and the suspension at Yanbu, remains the factor pushing crude futures higher, not the intelligence-sharing layer now reported between Israel and Saudi Arabia.