Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has rejected an Israeli proposal to join the military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi group, despite efforts to obtain Riyadh’s approval through US mediation, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday.

Citing an unnamed diplomatic source, the newspaper said the crown prince was not interested in Israeli military assistance, fearing that cooperation with Israel could trigger a backlash among the Saudi public.

Another source familiar with the matter said Israel hoped military cooperation with Saudi Arabia would strengthen bilateral ties and pave the way for a future normalisation agreement.

Saudi authorities did not immediately comment on the report.

Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has maintained that normalisation depends on resolving the Palestinian issue, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The report comes as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have escalated, with repeated strikes on airports reportedly causing casualties and disrupting flights.

An attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others, according to the report.

Another attack on the same airport on Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 others, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said.

The escalation began in July, following a period of relative calm after a UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022.

Yemen has been at war since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in September 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the country’s internationally recognised government.