Are Saudi-Israel Relations on an Upswing? The Saudi Media interviewed the Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot. This was an unprecedented event in the relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, where there are still no official diplomatic relations.

In an interview with the Saudi electronic newspaper Elaph (considered the first independent publication of the Kingdom) published on Thursday, November 16, the Israeli commander pointed to the joint threat to Israel and Saudi Arabia in the face of Iran. Eisenkot urged boosting of Saudi-Israel relations and invited other interested parties, to jointly curb the spread of “aggressive Iranian influence” in the Middle East.

Will Saudi-Israel Relations Stop Iran?

At the same time, the chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces noted the readiness of Tel Aviv to exchange intelligence with Riyadh to neutralize threats from Tehran. The Israeli military command confirmed the fact of the interview and the authenticity of its text posted on the portal Elaph.

According to the military correspondent of The Jerusalem Post, an interview with General Eisenkot in Tel Aviv was taken by a journalist-representative of the Druze community of Israel, who is an employee of the Saudi portal. As noted by the military correspondent of the Jerusalem Post in an interview with Al-Jazeera, “this is a remarkable event,” stressing that earlier Eisenkot refrained from contacts even with the Israeli media.

Let’s note, that recently Israel and Saudi Arabia show mutual readiness for rapprochement on a platform of joint opposition to Iran. While the two fierce geopolitical opponents of Tehran have not reached the level of official interstate contacts, they continue to adhere to the line on ensuring confidentiality of consultations held. However, much points to the consideration of “bold decisions” by Tel Aviv and Riyadh, including official visits and the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Earlier, the Arab media widely quoted, in particular, that this King Salman ibn Abdul-Aziz al-Saud “could invite” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the Kingdom and establish “full diplomatic relations”