In conversations with their American counterparts, Saudi officials called Israel’s ground operation a potentially devastating blow to stability in the Middle East. This was reported by The New York Times.
The New York Times reported that in recent days Saudi officials have expressed a clear message of warning to the United States in the context of Israel’s ground operation in the Gaza Strip. According to the newspaper, Riyadh said it could have disastrous consequences for the Middle East.
“The Saudi leadership hoped that the ground operation could be avoided for stability reasons as well as for human casualties,” US Senator Richard Blumenthal told the New York Times in a commentary.
According to the newspaper, at the same time, US President Joe Biden asked the Israeli leadership to postpone the invasion. American officials emphasised that for a variety of reasons, including to buy more time for hostage negotiations, deliver more humanitarian aid to Gaza and improve military planning. The New York Times specified that there are also indications that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hesitant about the invasion.
Recall, earlier The Washington Post mentioned that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met resistance in Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the issue of solving the Arab-Israeli conflict. According to the newspaper, the Saudi prince made the US official wait several hours for a meeting with him.