Saudi Arabia’s Security Crisis Demands US and Israeli Intervention

Saudi Arabia’s strategic depth has rarely matched its portrayed strength on the global stage. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which installed a Shia theocratic regime hostile to the Sunni kingdom, Saudi Arabia quickly recognized the existential threat posed by its larger neighbor.

The kingdom’s early response—backing Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War—successfully deterred direct Iranian aggression for nearly a decade. However, this marked the last instance of effective Saudi containment of Iranian influence. Subsequent attempts to counter Iranian expansion through proxy conflicts have largely failed.

Iran’s regional influence has expanded dramatically since then, creating what experts describe as a “ring of fire” around the Gulf states. Through proxy militias, Tehran has extended its reach into Lebanon, where Hezbollah’s ascendancy forced Riyadh to abandon its Lebanese political initiatives. In Iraq, the removal of Saddam Hussein eliminated a key Sunni counterbalance, allowing Iranian-backed Shia militias to dominate the political landscape.

The situation in Yemen presents perhaps the most immediate concern. After six years of conflict with Iranian-supported Houthis, Saudi Arabia brokered a truce in 2022 while continuing to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government. However, Houthi advances now threaten critical maritime chokepoints, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which much of Saudi Arabia’s oil exports transit.

More ominously, Houthi forces could potentially launch cross-border operations into southern Saudi Arabia, leveraging their control of key infrastructure to pressure the kingdom’s oil facilities and threaten supply routes to European markets via the Suez Canal.

Escalating Regional Instability

The United States and Israel, acutely aware of Middle Eastern unpredictability following recent events such as Hamas’s October 7 attacks and the fall of the Assad regime, recognize the necessity of preventing further Iranian entrenchment. Preventing a scenario where Saudi Arabia becomes a tributary state under Iranian influence remains crucial for regional stability and global energy security.

To counter this threat, Washington and Jerusalem must enhance intelligence cooperation to monitor Houthi military movements, distinguish between combatants and civilian populations affected by Houthi aggression, and be prepared to conduct targeted interventions—even if such actions require deploying ground forces.

An Iranian-Saudi alliance backed by substantial financial resources would represent a significant shift in regional dynamics, leaving only the US and Israel as viable defenders of the existing international order. Securing Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty is therefore essential for protecting broader Western interests in the Middle East.

The writer is a senior researcher at the JISS and professor emeritus at Bar-Ilan University.

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