US and Saudi Arabia reportedly near historic normalization agreement with Israel

The United States is set to hold defense meetings in Riyadh, aiming to advance the goal of building a regional missile shield. However, it remains unclear whether Gulf allies share the same level of confidence in US defense guarantees or are willing to take necessary steps to integrate their defenses. The meeting comes after the US, Britain, and other allies assisted Israel in knocking down hundreds of Iranian missiles. US and Saudi negotiators are working on a bilateral agreement that would likely involve formal US guarantees to defend the kingdom and sharing emerging technologies with Riyadh. Meanwhile, the US has expressed optimism about reaching a historic normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly rebuffed recent efforts towards a Palestinian state.