US media: Saudi Arabia reached out to Israeli entity to buy missile defense systems

SANAA, Sept. 15 (YPA) – Saudi Arabia has reached out to Tel Aviv about the possibility of procuring Israeli-made missile defense systems, at a time when the American systems the Kingdom has for so long relied upon have been removed, Breaking Defense Magazine reported.

According to the breaking Defense, Sources here have confirmed an AP report from the weekend that American THAAD and Patriot batteries have been quietly removed from Prince Sultan Air Base, located outside of Riyadh.

Those assets had been moved into the Kingdom following a 2019 strike on Saudi oil production facilities; while claimed by   Yemeni army forces, US officials assessed that Iran was actually behind the attack.

Although a withdrawal of air defense assets from the region had been expected for several months, it was unclear exactly when US assets would head elsewhere.

Now, Israeli sources say, Saudi Arabia is seriously considering its alternatives. Among them: China, Russia and, in a move that might have seemed impossible a few years ago, Israel.

Specifically, the Saudis are considering either the Iron Dome, produced by Rafael, which is better against short range rockets, or the Barak ER, produced by IAI, which is designed to intercept cruise missiles.

Israeli defense sources told Breaking Defense that such a deal would be realistic, as long as both nations received approval of Washington; one source added that Saudi “interest in the Israeli systems has reached a very practical phase.”

Retired  Brigadier  General,  Giora Elland, former director of Israel’s National Security Council and a former head of the Planning Department of the Israel Defense Forces, told Breaking Defense that he expects “that Washington will not object the sale of these Israeli systems to friendly Gulf countries.”

E.M