UPDATE - 'Netanyahu secretly visits Saudi crown prince'

UPDATES WITH REACTION OF HAMAS; REVISES DECK

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli media alleged Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with the kingdom's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Reports from Haaretz and Walla news said the meeting was held secretly in Saudi Arabia with the participation of the Israeli external spy service (Mossad) chief Yossi Cohen.

Netanyahu's office did not deny the news, the outlets noted.

Neither Saudi Arabia nor the US have yet commented on the reports.

Recently, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said normalization with Israel would eventually take place within the framework of a Palestinian-Israeli peace plan.

For its part, Palestinian Hamas group requested Saudi Arabia to clarify the reports.

"The information about Netanyahu's visit to Saudi Arabia is serious - if correct," Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, said on Twitter.

He added: "We call on Saudi Arabia to clarify what happened, as this represents an insult to the nation and a waste of Palestinian rights."

*Ahmed Asmar in Ankara contributed to this report