Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman is reported to be so desperate for help in reversing Saudi defeats in Yemen that he’s even asking Israel for help... indirectly of course. Miriam Adelson’s Israel Hayom publication cites diplomatic officials in the region claiming the requests were made directly to other Gulf states and Egypt. Israel was approached indirectly through U.S. Central Command with a request for intelligence and other assistance that could help prevent the Houthis from blocking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. In his appeals, Mohammed bin Salman warned of the severe damage that could be inflicted on the entire region and the global economy if the strait is blocked.

The Saudi ruler’s messages stressed that this was not merely Saudi Arabia’s war but a conflict affecting the entire world, and that the economic damage caused by a closure of Bab al-Mandeb could be even greater than the damage caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Egypt was reportedly told that it, too, could effectively become a hostage to the Houthis, since a blockade would hit shipping through the Suez Canal, one of the country’s main sources of revenue.