to report «iusnews»; Saudi Arabia has no interest in taking part in the new US-led coalition to safeguard commercial traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks, prioritizing domestic security and economic development instead, The New York Times reported, citing US and Saudi officials.
The kingdom views the prospect of peace on its Southern border "a more appealing goal" compared to joining any naval action after eight years of war with the Houthi movement that drained Saudi coffers and helped drive Yemen into one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises, the newspaper reported on Monday.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud, whom the report described as the kingdom's "de facto" ruler, wants to transform it into a business hub by 2030 and seeks to resolve conflicts and soothe tensions across the Middle East, including through a rapprochement with Iran, its regional rival.
Saudi Arabia launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics support from the US, the UK and other Western states. The objective was to reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, and crush the resistance movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government in Yemen. The latter have retaliated by attacking Saudi forces and firing missiles into Saudi Arabia.
After the armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas escalated in October, the Houthis have intensified their attacks on cargo ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, vowing to continue them until Israel ends its military actions in the Gaza Strip.
Last week, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of a multinational operation to secure the Red Sea amid the surge in Houthis' attacks on cargo ships, saying that the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and Spain would take part in the mission. The Houthis, for their part, vowed to attack any ships that join the US-led maritime coalition.
