🔻Saudi Arabia appointed a naval commander to lead a multinational maritime coalition

🔻Saudi Arabia appointed a naval commander to lead a multinational maritime coalition

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense has announced the appointment of Vice Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al-Sharji to command the multinational maritime coalition.

According to a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Defense, also published on X, Al-Sharji will oversee “joint maritime defense,” coordinate with member states and other maritime coalitions, and carry out the coalition’s approved missions.

On 8 Mordad, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a multinational naval defense coalition with the participation of 13 other countries and led by Riyadh.

The action, according to Saudi officials, was taken to protect international shipping, trade routes, and energy transfers against growing threats in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb strait, and the Gulf of Aden.

The move came after the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen announced last week that they would impose a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter.