Saudi Arabia Should Join the Abraham Accords to Counter the Houthi/Iranian Threat
Source: https://www.facebook.com/americanspectator/. "Will Saudi Arabia Fight the Houthis and Join the Abraham Accords? | The American Spectator | USA News and Politics." September 19, 2026. spectator.org
The Gist
The author argues that Saudi Arabia is under serious attack from Iran-backed Houthi rebels and can't get enough help from traditional allies like the UK, Pakistan, or even the U.S. Since Israel has quietly been providing intelligence, weapons, and military strikes against the Houthis already, the author says Saudi Arabia should stop hesitating and formally join the Abraham Accords to get more robust protection.
Conclusion
Saudi Arabia should join the Abraham Accords in order to rescue itself from the Iranian axis threat, particularly the Houthi menace.
Premises
- Saudi Arabia faces an escalating and serious threat from the Houthis, including drone attacks near Mecca and dozens of wounded civilians.
- Iran is applying multi-front military pressure on Saudi Arabia via proxies (Houthis, Hashd al-Shaabi) and direct threats to critical infrastructure.
- Traditional allies (UK, Pakistan) have failed to provide meaningful military assistance to Saudi Arabia against the Houthis.
- The U.S. under Trump has been reluctant to assist Saudi Arabia due to the Kingdom's public criticism of U.S.-Israel actions against Iran.
- Israel has already provided significant covert and material support to Saudi Arabia, including CENTCOM intelligence sharing, weapons sales, and strategic meetings about countering the Houthis.
- Israel has demonstrated military capability and willingness to directly confront and degrade Houthi capabilities (e.g., strikes on Sanaa airport, Hodeida port, killing Houthi leadership).
- Israel's Iron Dome technology, already shared with the UAE, would substantially benefit Saudi Arabia's air defense needs.
- The Abraham Accords are gaining renewed momentum (Morocco strengthening ties, potential Kuwait accession), suggesting a favorable strategic moment for Saudi Arabia to join.
Assumptions
- Formal accession to the Abraham Accords would result in greater, more reliable Israeli military and intelligence support than the current informal cooperation.
- Saudi Arabia's national security interests should outweigh its stated commitment to Palestinian statehood as a precondition for normalization.
- Israel's willingness to informally assist Saudi Arabia indicates it would be equally or more willing to assist as a formal treaty partner.
- Public normalization with Israel would not itself create additional destabilizing risks (domestic backlash, regional legitimacy costs) for the Saudi government.
- The strategic benefits of joining outweigh the political costs of abandoning the Kingdom's traditional stance on Palestinian nationalism.