A Much Needed Awakening

The direct and deliberate strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport carries the well-known hallmark of terrorist barbarism. They struck with full intention, seeking to terrify civilians and maximize non-combatant casualties. More audacious still, the Houthis seek to humiliate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As custodians of Mecca and Medina, the Saudis have long been seen as leaders in the Arab world. If the Houthis are able to strike at the heart of their capital, what message does that send to the rest of the Muslim world? What is needed now is a drastic realignment in how the Saudis view their partnerships in the region—it is time for them to take that leap of faith and shake hands with the Israelis.

Just a few weeks ago, the world was greeted with the news of the Mecca Defense Alliance , a military pact between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. It is curious to witness how quickly this defensive pact has proven itself to be worthless. Even more curious is that this pact went ahead, seeing as how Türkiye and Pakistan have proven themselves to be quite unreliable. President Erdoğan, who aspires to be a Neo-Ottoman Sultan, would relish the diminishing status of Saudi Arabia in the Muslim world. And Pakistan has shown itself time and again to be untrustworthy when it comes to Iran, the Houthis’ puppet masters. If Saudi Arabia wants to maintain its image as a regional leader, the Kingdom must align itself with partners that are reliable and capable of confronting the tentacles of Iran head-on.

Make no mistake: Iran is the mastermind behind what is currently happening between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi usurpers in Yemen. They started their temper tantrum during the early days of the war, striking oil facilities throughout the Gulf. They took aim at Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, seeking to hinder and hamper efforts to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. In recent weeks, the Houthis have made progress in their attempts to seize control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. If the Houthis manage to establish themselves in this strategic region, Iran will gain a total stranglehold on world oil—something that must not be allowed to happen.

The Saudis must now choose their path. They can depend on lackluster and unreliable allies that merely pay lip service, or they can strengthen their hand by making peace with Israel. Israel has long been aware of the threat Tehran poses to the region, as have the Saudis. After their belligerent chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” the fanatics in Iran hold the Saudi royal family third on their list of enemies. The last few years have shown the dangers of leaving unresolved terrorist threats to fester: Israel took a step back in Gaza and was greeted with the horrors of October 7th. The region placated the Ayatollahs in Iran, only to have their malignant forces seep across the Middle East, causing chaos from Lebanon and Syria through Iraq and Yemen. The Saudis have tried—though not hard enough—to combat the rising threats along their southern border. It is time for a new Middle East to emerge: one united in vision and resolve to totally dismantle the Iranian threat. Once Tehran falls, its rabid extremist proxies across the region will fade into oblivion, and a new dawn can finally rise.

But, of course, this requires a leap of faith. Let us hope Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is ready to take it.