A source inside Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed on Wednesday that the kingdom had joined the International Maritime Security Construct, state media reported.
Saudi Arabia’s accession to the naval alliance comes days after a drone attack targeted a major oil facility in the country. Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for the precision strikes, but Washington insists the real culprit is Iran.
Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition’s other members are Australia, Bahrain, and the United Kingdom. Together, the countries patrol the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandab, the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf, purportedly in an effort to protect merchant vessels from attack.