Israeli Prime Minister pays secret visit to Saudi Arabia, meets Crown Prince

Moscow, Nov 23 (Bureau) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has held an unannounced meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported on Monday, citing sources. The talks, held in Saudi Arabia’s Neom smart cross-border city, were also attended by the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Yossi Cohen, the sources said. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office has refused to give a comment on the matter.

Netanyahu’s jet was seen on flight-tracking websites, according to the news agency. Netanyahu’s social media advisor, Topaz Luk, in turn, noted in a Monday tweet that Defense Minister and Alternative Premier Benny Gantz “does politics, while the prime minister makes peace.” Haaretz reported that the plane stayed in Saudi Arabia for approximately two hours and returned to Israel at around 00:30 local time (22:30 GMT). This comes amid Pompeo’s seven-country tour from November 13-23, with the destinations including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.