Saudi Arabia wants American security guarantees as a prerequisite for repairing relations with Israel.

(cnn) ⸻ Saudi Arabia is looking to the United States for security guarantees and help with its civilian nuclear program as a condition for normalizing relations with Israel, according to people familiar with the matter. The discussions are ongoing, and it is unclear what the terms of any agreement might look like. President Joe Biden has placed importance on normalizing ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as has Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who believe better relations between the two nations could help increase security in the Middle East. Israel has already secured diplomatic agreements with other Arab nations, including Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, and Biden has vowed to build upon them, particularly as Iran's nuclear program advances. The US National Security Council declined to confirm Saudi Arabia was seeking security guarantees from the US, instead pointing to accomplishments Biden secured when he visited Israel and Saudi Arabia over the summer. Kirby cited an agreement on contested Red Sea islands and a recent announcement by Oman it would allow Israeli overflights. The State Department did not reply to a request for comment. The Israeli Embassy in Washington had no comment.