Saudi Maj Gen Abdullah Al Shehri has been appointed commander of the recently created multinational maritime alliance to protect Red Sea trade routes from attacks by Iran's allies, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.
The alliance was announced following a meeting in Riyadh on July 30 of military representatives from 43 nations. The meeting came days after the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen declared a blockade of Saudi ports and shipping in the Red Sea in response to what they described as a Saudi siege on Yemen, an allegation Riyadh has denied.
Maj Gen Al Shehri will oversee the alliance's joint naval command, co-ordinate planning among member states and partner maritime coalitions, and supervise the implementation of joint operations and activities under the alliance's charter.
The Saudi Defence Ministry said the appointment would help complete the alliance's command structure and improve its operational readiness, enabling member states to begin joint programmes, information sharing, capacity-building and combined training and exercises.
More countries have joined the alliance since its launch, with some signing the declaration while others are undergoing procedures required for formal accession, the ministry said.
The admission of new members and remaining institutional arrangements will be discussed at a meeting scheduled for August 12-13, and an updated list of participating states will be announced once the accession procedures are completed, its statement said.
The ministry said the maritime coalition is an open international alliance that welcomes countries sharing its objectives and principles. Its mission is to enhance maritime security, safeguard freedom of navigation, secure maritime corridors and strategic straits, and support international trade and humanitarian supply chains in accordance with international law.
A joint statement issued by 14 of the countries at the July 30 meeting identified the Bab Al Mandeb strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – key trade routes along the shores of Saudi Arabia and Yemen – as the focus of its operations.
The Bab Al Mandeb strait, linking the southern Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is a major route for global trade and energy shipments. Since 2023, the Houthis have disrupted maritime traffic by attacking ships in what they said was solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.
Those attacks led to the creation of two naval operations to protect shipping and deter Houthi attacks - the European Union's Operation Aspides and the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian.
European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper told The National the EU mission remains active in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but declined to comment on whether it had any role in the Saudi-led coalition.
The Red Sea has gained extra significance during the Iran war as an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz for oil exports. That lifeline has come under threat due to attacks by the Houthis, who announced their blockade of Saudi shipping last week.
On Wednesday, the Houthis said they had launched a missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea near the Saudi port city of Yanbu and another missile attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
There was no confirmation from Saudi Arabia on either incident.
