Red Waves Naval Drills Begin in Saudi Arabia – Commander

DOHA (Sputnik) - The second edition of the Red Waves naval exercise got underway in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the commander of its Jeddah-based Western Fleet told the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

"Naval forces from Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Yemen, Somalia and Saudi Arabia as well as Royal Saudi Air Force planes are involved in the drills", Saqr Harbi told Asharq al-Awsat.

The exercise will wrap up on 26 September. Its goal is to bolster maritime security of the Red Sea nations, strengthen their cooperation and protect regional waters, he added.

A picture taken on January 14, 2014 through the window of an airplane shows the Red Sea's Tiran (foreground) and the Sanafir (background) islands in the Strait of Tiran between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Saudi Arabia.

© AFP 2023 / STRINGER

The military exercises are held amid a row between Saudi Arabia and Iran that escalated tensions in the region. It started after attacks on Saudi Aramco oil compounds, which Riyadh blamed on Tehran.

The Islamic Republic denied the allegations, stressing that Houthi movement, which fights against the coalition led by the kingdom in neighbouring Yemen claimed responsibility for the incident.

The Red Sea countries formed an alliance in late 2018, with its first war games — the Red Waves 1 — held in December.