The Saudi Ministry of Defense announced Aug. 6 that Maj. Gen. Abdullah al-Shehri has been appointed commander of the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance, according to a ministry statement. The ministry said the appointment is intended to “secure freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea and to advance the alliance’s institutional development and operational readiness.
The alliance, which Riyadh announced as a 14-country coalition to protect Red Sea shipping, was first pitched as an international coalition open to participation by other states [1][2]. The appointment was disclosed weeks after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia [3].
Read Full Article: https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-08-08-saudi-arabia-names-red-sea-maritime-alliance-commander.html
