Israel has categorically denied reports from Arab media indicating that Saudi Arabia has just acquired the “Iron Dome” air defense system.
Earlier, the website Al Khaleej Online notably reported that according to “high-level diplomatic sources,” a transaction between Jerusalem and Riyadh was made possible thanks to the intervention of the U.S. administration, which allegedly acted as a mediator. Tripartite meetings were said to have taken place in Washington, according to the same source.
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that an official Israeli source denied these claims, which have also not been confirmed by Saudi Arabia.
The Iron Dome was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and designed to intercept short-range projectiles and shells.
According to Al Khaleej Online, the transaction between Israel and Saudi Arabia would have amounted to several tens of millions of dollars and was concluded for the Iron Dome to be installed as early as December at the Yemen-Saudi border.
The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen has been assisting the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 2015 in its fight against the Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran.
It is particularly in a common struggle against the latter, a nemesis of both Israel and Saudi Arabia, that Jerusalem and Riyadh have drawn significantly closer.
While the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has been criticized by the UN several times following deadly raids, the United States “certified” on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were taking “conspicuous measures” to try to spare civilians in Yemen, an essential condition for continuing to support these key Washington allies in their controversial intervention.
