Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Jerusalem is closely monitoring signs Saudi Arabia may be distancing itself from the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, warning that any country seeking normalization with Israel must avoid aligning with forces opposed to peace and the Jewish state’s legitimacy.

“I don’t want to be Saudi Arabia’s interpreter; we follow these things as well, we don’t ignore them. And it is clear that we expect anyone who wants to negotiate normalization agreements and peace agreements with us not to join efforts that are, how can we say, directed by elements or by an ideology that wants the opposite of peace. Essentially attacking the State of Israel, denying the legitimacy of the State of Israel, and nurturing all kinds of bodies that attack the State of Israel,” the premier said at a press conference at his office in Jerusalem.

“I think this is obvious,” he added. “And so I would be happy if we had a normalization and peace agreement with Saudi Arabia, assuming that Saudi Arabia wants a normalization and peace agreement with a secure and strong State of Israel.”

Saudi Arabia ratchets up anti-Israel rhetoric

His comments come against the backdrop of an increase in anti-Israel, antisemitic and Islamist rhetoric coming out of the kingdom, which has caused concern among leading Jewish organizations.

Jewish Insider reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia has intensified hostile messaging in recent weeks through state-aligned media, deepening concerns in Washington over the Gulf state’s reliability as a U.S. partner.

The increasingly hardline rhetoric comes, according to the report, as Riyadh’s relations with the United Arab Emirates have frayed and the Saudis have drawn closer to Islamist-oriented governments such as Turkey and Qatar—realignments that analysts say mark a sharp departure from the kingdom’s recent image as a moderating force in the region.

The Anti-Defamation League said in a statement posted to X on Jan. 23 that it was “alarmed by the increasing frequency and volume of prominent Saudi voices—analysts, journalists, and preachers—using openly antisemitic dog whistles and aggressively pushing anti-Abraham Accords rhetoric, often while peddling conspiracy theories about ‘Zionist plots.’”

The ADL added that “This is harmful on many levels, diminishing the prospect of peaceful coexistence in the region and weakening regional initiatives promoting tolerance, understanding, and prosperity.”

Riyadh rules out use of its airspace for strikes on Iran

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for any military action against Iran, amid a U.S. buildup of forces in the region that includes an aircraft carrier strike group.

The call came as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to warn of consequences for Tehran over its lethal protest crackdown while signaling he remains open to negotiations with the Iranian leadership.

According to Riyadh’s readout of the call, MBS affirmed the government’s position of “respecting the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and reiterated the kingdom’s “support for any efforts that would resolve differences through dialogue in a way that enhances security and stability in the region.”

Israel’s Abraham Accords ally, the United Arab Emirates, is also not allowing its airspace to be used for military action against Iran, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Iranian regime’s deadly crackdown on protests

After nearly three weeks of near-total digital isolation, the first detailed accounts of Iran’s January 2026 crackdown are emerging, with human-rights groups describing a chilling campaign of state-led mass violence.

The Islamic Republic imposed what observers dubbed a “digital iron curtain” in early January, cutting off global internet access and disabling much of the country’s intranet, then slowly restoring connectivity for select businesses and approved users as thousands of videos, photos, medical files and testimonies slipped out.

Analysts and rights monitors say the material points to a coordinated, military-style operation against protesters on Jan. 8–9 that involved heavy weaponry in civilian areas, sniper fire, mass detentions, enforced disappearances and systematic efforts to hide the true toll.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency confirmed on Tuesday that 6,221 people have been killed since the uprising began on Dec. 28, including 5,858 protesters, 214 regime-affiliated forces, 100 children and 49 non-protesters/civilians. The number of deaths still under investigation stands at 17,091 and the number of severely injured has risen to 11,017, according to HRANA, which added that the total number of arrests has reached 42,324.

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