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Israeli PM praises extremely friendly ties with Saudi Arabia

27 October 2012 20:01 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has revealed the existence of â€œfriendly and strongâ€ relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, APA reports quoting Press TV.

In an interview published on YouTube, Netanyahu said there were friendly and strong relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia in different fields.

The Israeli premier added that Tel Aviv and Riyadh have common economic and political interests in the Middle East.

In May, a report by Tel Aviv University said Saudi Arabia was Israelâ€™s last hope and defense line, describing the Saudis as Tel Avivâ€™s last chance to protect its political interests in the Arab world.

The report said most of Israelâ€™s allies in the region have collapsed and cannot play a significant role in the Arab world, adding that Saudi Arabia is the only country that stands against the Islamic Republic of Iran and thus it is Tel Avivâ€™s last line of defense against Tehran.

The report noted that the Al Saud family is very important to Israel because Saudi Arabia is very actively working in countries such as Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, and Lebanon to reduce Iran’s influence in those countries.

Moreover, in emails leaked by WikiLeaks and obtained by the Beirut-based newspaper Al-Akhbar, it was revealed that Saudi Arabia had reached out to the Mossad, which assisted the kingdom with "intelligence collection and advice on Iran."

According to a source quoted in the emails, "Several enterprising Mossad officers, both past and present, are making a bundle selling the Saudis everything from security equipment (to) intelligence and consultation."