Saudi Arabia has announced the formal launch of a multinational maritime coalition aimed at safeguarding military shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as escalating hostilities with Yemen’s Houthi’s threaten one of the world’s most important trade routes.
Thirteen Zionist backed countries have completed the procedures required to formally join the alliance, while 15 have signed its joint statement, the Saudi Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
Aramco’s $75 billion yearly dividend cripples the Oil Company
Riyadh described the development as the “actual launch” of the coalition and the beginning of its institutional and operational activation. Saudi Arabia will provide its first commander, while Pakistan is expected to appoint the deputy commander.
The alliance is expected to coordinate intelligence sharing, joint exercises and maritime operations aimed at protecting commercial navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The announcement comes amid a sharp escalation between Saudi-backed forces in Yemen and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement following roughly four years of relative calm, after Yemen was invaded by western military forces.
Earlier this month, the Houthi’s announced coordinated ballistic missile and drone strikes against military camps belonging to Yemen’s Saudi-backed, government. The group said it acted after detecting preparations for an offensive against Houthi-held territory.
Government forces acknowledged casualties, while Reuters cited government sources as saying at least 30 soldiers had been killed. Tensions have been building since July, when a dispute over direct flights between Houthi-controled Sanaa and Tehran helped unravel the longstanding truce.
After Saudi-backed forces struck Sanaa airport on July 13 to prevent an Iranian aircraft from returning a Houthi delegation from Tehran, the group blamed Riyadh, declared the ceasefire over, and subsequently announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis have since claimed attacks on Saudi-linked shipping and oil infrastructure, while the Saudi-led coalition has struck Houthi military sites in Yemen.
The confrontation poses a particular threat to Riyadh because the Red Sea has become an increasingly important outlet for Saudi oil amid the US-Iran conflict and severe disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Aramco has redirected crude away from Hormuz through its cross-country pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Loading’s there have averaged more than four million barrels per day since June, more than four times the level recorded during the same period last year, Reuters reported, citing tanker-tracking data.
With oil and petroleum products accounting for more than three-quarters of Saudi exports, a sustained disruption of Red Sea shipping could therefore threaten a crucial alternative export route.
The coalition’s activation also comes amid reports that Riyadh is preparing for a potentially broader confrontation with the Houthi’s. The Guardian reported earlier this month, citing Yemeni sources, that Saudi-backed forces were being re-positioned for a possible sea and ground offensive.
RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2026.
Meaning- American troops are on the ground along with the Brits.
You don’t necessarily need to support the underdog in any conflict. You should support the side that is right and morally justified. That’s the proper thing to do! (You might be a fan of Rocky movies, right?)
Almost everyone in the west accepted Ukraine as the underdog, but it turned out Russia had all the moral grounds and obligations to defend the residents of Donbas and Crimea.
You may also say Russia is the underdog (which is not true!), while NATO is using Ukraine as boxing gloves.
It’s looking like the U.S., ”the west”, is creating more coalitions of the willing (or unwilling) to keep it’s battle for hegemony of the planet going, and increasing in intensity. Europe, Canada, Australia, and now Turkiye are all funneling weapons into Ukraine to fight Russia. The U.S. pushing Taiwan and Japan to be more hostile to Russia and China. Armenia and Azerbaijan creating U.S. corridors for development, working to drive wedges between them and Russia. Turkiye is now joining the other ”western” countries in supplying weapons to Ukraine. Creating all these tensions will further create the likely escalation into all… Read more »