Mossad director David Barnea undertook a clandestine visit to Washington almost two weeks ago to engage in discussions with senior White House and CIA officials regarding the Biden administration’s endeavors to broker an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as revealed by two U.S. sources to Axios.
The focus of the discussions extends beyond just the Israel-Saudi normalization matter. The Israeli government is seeking to provide its perspective on prospective U.S.-Saudi bilateral agreements currently under consideration, which have the potential to impact Israel’s security.
These agreements encompass topics such as potential U.S. support for a Saudi civilian nuclear program featuring uranium enrichment and potential U.S. arms sales to Riyadh. The Israeli authorities wish to be involved in these deliberations to ensure that their security interests are taken into account.