Saudi Arabia is hosting a joint naval drill with Egypt and several other countries bordering the Red Sea, in a waterway that has become a flashpoint for regional tensions in recent years.
The Egyptian military announced in a statement on Tuesday the launch of 'The Red Wave 8,' hosted by Saudi Arabia, that will also include Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, and Djibouti – Red Sea littoral states. It is expected to last several days.
The statement explained that the exercise "includes theoretical lectures and intensive practical training aimed at unifying concepts of joint operations, planning for the management of multilateral naval activities, and training to counter unconventional maritime threats."
The drills are "designed to enhance the skills of the participating forces, promote the exchange of expertise, and strengthen their ability to carry out joint operations to safeguard maritime security in the region."
Reports in September had said that Egypt and Saudi Arabia planned to form a joint naval force for the Red Sea, a move that highlights the two nations' intention to take the protection of this crucial maritime avenue into their own hands.
Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry announced in a statement on Sunday that the exercise had begun at King Faisal Naval Base of the Western Fleet, with the participation of Saudi naval, land, and air forces, as well as Border Guard units, in addition to observers from Pakistan and Mauritania, nations not on the Red Sea.
Rear Admiral Mansour bin Saud Al-Juaid, Commander of the Western Fleet, affirmed that the exercise aims to strengthen defence cooperation and security integration among the participating countries, and to unify efforts to protect strategic maritime passages and global supply routes, thereby contributing to safeguarding energy security and international trade.
He explained that 'The Red Wave 8' includes advanced naval operations covering surface, subsurface, and aerial warfare, as well as electronic warfare, and training on countering smuggling, terrorism, and piracy, intercepting fast attack boats, and protecting shipping lanes.
Director of the manoeuvre, Brigadier General Abdullah bin Al-Anzi, said the current edition of the drills represents a "qualitative development" in planning and operational execution since the Red Wave exercises began in 2019. He added that the exercise employs the latest weapons systems and combat platforms and conducts live-fire shots and field scenarios that include urban warfare, raid-and-ambush operations, counterterrorism and hostage-rescue missions.
Strategic experts view these manoeuvres as a practical embodiment of the maritime cooperation agreement between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and as a step toward expanding Arab alliances in the Red Sea to confront regional threats.
Houthi missiles and Sudan war
The Red Sea borders Saudi Arabia to the east, and Egypt and east African nations to the west.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels began firing missiles at Israeli-owned vessels and other Israel-bound ships at the onset of the Gaza war in late 2023.
The Iran-backed group said its attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea were in support of Palestinians in Gaza and aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war on the territory.
The economic implications were felt worldwide, and the US and Israel have launched heavy strikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen.
Egypt, which has the strongest military among Arab nations, lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue as the number of ships transiting the Suez Canal dropped significantly.
Washington and the Houthis reached a deal earlier this year where the Yemeni rebel group pledged to stop attacks on shipping lanes but vowed to continue firing rockets at Israel as long as the war on Gaza continued.
The Houthis control Yemen’s Hodeida, Ras Isa, and Al-Salif ports, all of which are located on the Red Sea and have been targeted in strikes.
Saudi Arabia does not recognise the Houthi-led government in Sanaa and instead backs the internationally-recognised administration based in Aden.
Riyadh led a multinational military coalition against the Houthis since 2015, but that war subsided in recent years.
In Sudan, Riyadh also backs the military-aligned government, which has been caught in a two-and-a-half-year war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces which Khartoum claims is backed by the United Arab Emirates.
Port Sudan, the war-torn country’s main and only major international seaport, is controlled by the military but has come under heavy drone strikes by the RSF.