A Saudi-Led Multinational Defensive Naval Alliance
(Translated)
Al-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 613 - 19/08/2026
By: Ustadh Ahmed Al-Khatwani

On July 30, 2026, Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a multinational naval alliance to protect maritime corridors in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden, as well as to enhance maritime security and safeguard international trade routes in these areas. Fourteen nations announced their participation in the Saudi-led alliance: Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, Jordan, Yemen, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, and Nigeria; notably, forty-three countries attended the inaugural meeting. An administrative and organizational structure was established for the alliance, comprising a command-and-control center, a joint naval operations center, and a general secretariat.

Following days of discussions and deliberations among the chiefs of staff and representatives of the participating members, Saudi Arabia announced on August 6 the appointment of Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al-Shehri to lead the alliance’s operations. This appointment suggests that the participation of other states is merely symbolic and intended for public relations. No member from outside Saudi Arabia was selected for the alliance’s naval leadership. Saudi Arabia will shoulder the entire operational burden, while other states provide external support.

Fundamentally, this alliance is confined to the Red Sea region and its southern gateways. It has no direct connection to the Strait of Hormuz or Iran. Its primary objective is to attempt to sever the link between the Houthis and Iran—a goal that aligns perfectly with U.S. plans to strike Iran’s proxies in Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq. Thus, it represents a consistent U.S. policy in the region, executed by Saudi Arabia with the backing of the states comprising this alliance. Battles and confrontations in Yemen are expected to be protracted, and the war will not be easily resolved; the Houthis control the capital and are entrenched in mountainous terrain, making it difficult to dislodge or decisively defeat them.

Saudi Arabia has previously engaged in long conflicts in Yemen—spanning from Operation Decisive Storm and Operation Restoring Hope in 2015 through 2019 and beyond, ultimately lasting a decade or more—without achieving a decisive victory. Wars in Yemen typically prove ruinous for the attacking forces. This was the case for Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser, whose troops entered Yemen in 1960, and fought fruitlessly until 1967. Egypt suffered catastrophic losses, with tens of thousands of soldiers killed, and failed to establish full control, ultimately withdrawing its forces empty-handed.

Today, the United States and its partners in the new coalition are well aware of these realities. Consequently, American participation alongside Saudi Arabia is likely to be merely nominal, leaving the heaviest burden on the Saudis, while the war itself is unlikely to yield any decisive results.

The U.S. seeks to ignite a war in Yemen to exhaust and weaken Iran, and to preoccupy the region with new conflicts, instead of a direct war with Iran. It is indifferent to the war’s duration or the heavy casualties inflicted on both sides. Its sole priority is sparking a conflict that costs the U.S. nothing—and perhaps even advances some of its regional objectives—after failing to decisively resolve its own confrontation with Iran.

Following U.S. plans in the region will bring nothing but ruin and destruction, yielding no gains for the warring parties. The United States alone stands to benefit, while all others will lose. Peoples must not be deceived by the lies of their rulers, who paint a false picture of victory in wars against one another. Instead, they must fully realize that America and the states of kufr (disbelief) are the true enemy and must treat them as such. These peoples are part of a single Ummah—sharing one Deen, one Messenger (saw), and one Qibla—and must therefore know where to direct their compass. They must work first to expel American and Western influence from Muslim lands, hold fast together to the Rope of Allah (swt), and unify their concerns and goals in support of this Deen and establishing the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly-Guided Caliphate) on the Method of the Prophethood.