Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense appointed Admiral Abdullah Al-Shahri as commander of the multinational naval defense coalition.

In a statement from the ministry, the appointment is described as an essential step toward completing the coalition’s institutional structure and increasing its operational readiness.

The coalition commander will be responsible for leading joint naval defense operations, overseeing planning and coordination among member countries, as well as coordinating with other naval coalitions, and carrying out joint activities and missions in accordance with the coalition’s charter.

Following attacks by the Houthi forces supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Saudi Arabia’s ships, this country proposed the multinational naval defense coalition, which, according to Saudi officials, is an international defense initiative.

So far, in addition to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, the legal government of Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti have joined the coalition.