But don't tell nobody cuz it's secret...[MSN] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Saudi Arabia over the weekend, a senior Cabinet minister told local news media, signaling a potential breakthrough for Israel as it strives for acceptance in the region.
Various Israeli news outlets and Axios, citing Israeli sources, reported Monday that Netanyahu had met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a visit with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — the first known meeting between the crown prince and Netanyahu.
On Israel's Army Radio, Education Minister Yoav Gallant congratulated Netanyahu on the "remarkable achievement" but did not say bin Salman and Netanyahu had met.
Netanyahu on Monday declined to comment on the reports, saying only: “I never talked about these kinds of things and I will not start now. I’m committed to strengthening Israel.”
The State Department also declined to comment. NBC News was not able to confirm that Netanyahu and the crown prince had met.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, meanwhile, denied that a visit took place, saying in a tweet that "no such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi."
Rumors of thawing relations between the two Middle East powers have been swirling for years as the nations have seen their security interests overlap, with both viewing Iran as an existential threat.
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