A report in the Times on the weekend said that Saudi Arabia had agreed with Israel and the US to allow Israeli jets use of Saudi air space an an event involving Iran.

The London Times reported on Saturday that the Saudis had taken security precautions to ensure no Israeli jet could be shot down on the way to or from Iran.

A source said the US State Department had also been a party to the agreement.

US defence sources have said tests have been done in Saudi Arabia to ensure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down.

Sources in Saudi Arabia told The Times that Saudi defence officials had agreed that tensions between the two countries would be softened if Israel decided to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, as both governments share a mutual loathing of the regime in Teheran and a fear of a possible build up of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.