Israel is not a popular country in the middle east, almost universally regarded as an interloper by native Arabs on religious and territorial grounds. Yet politically, Israel’s interests are aligned with some of its neighbors, particularly U.S. ally Saudi Arabia.
Its neighbors also covet Israel’s advanced and high quality weapons systems despite the fact it rarely arms its neighbors.
Yet Saudi Arabia has been persistently seeking Israeli weapons and it appears Israel has finally agreed to sell, despite no public announcements. On Saturday Iran’s Fars News Agency reported that advanced Israeli made ammunition and weapons were part of a large cache of military material found in the Saudi embassy in Yemen’s capital Sana’a.
According to the Iranian report, rebel Houthi forces captured the Saudi embassy Saturday, battling over 40 guards at the high security complex. Iran is backing the Houthi rebels, which have been Saudi-backed government forces in a dangerous proxy war over the last several months.
The report also outlined that in addition to the weapons, rebels also uncovered documents outlining an American plan to build a large military base on Mayyun Island, a Saudi island strategically positioned in the narrow entrance to the Red Sea between Yemen and the African continent. The base would help protect American interests in the region and also assist Israel’s security.
Since April, Yemeni forces have consistently reported that Saudi Arabia was using Israeli weapons in strikes against the Houthis. There have even been reports that the Saudis have been using Israeli tactical nuclear weapons.
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