Saudi Arabia and UAE not present in US led Naval Coalition

Saudi Arabia's name was conspicuously - perhaps surprisingly - absent from a list of countries the United States announced as part of its new naval coalition protecting Red Sea shipping from Yemen's Houthi group.

Although it has a US-equipped military, has been waging war on the Houthis for nearly nine years and relies on Red Sea ports for 36% of imports, Saudi Arabia along with Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates has proclaimed no interest in the venture.

The main reason for its absence appears to be a concern that participating would detract from a long-term strategic goal ‑ extricating itself from a messy war in Yemen and a destructive feud with the Houthis' principal backer Iran.

Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have been striking at ships in the Red Sea for weeks in response to Israel's war with the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza.

Whether their attacks are having much direct impact on Israel - shipping companies say several targeted vessels were not headed there - their campaign has hit Israel's Western allies by complicating global trade. On Wednesday their leader threatened to expand this campaign to US naval vessels.

US officials have avoided saying outright that the two countries will not take part, and spokespeople for both the Saudi and Emirati governments did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on the matter.

Both the countries want to avoid being seen as participants in a campaign that could upset their long-term regional strategy - and turn Arab anger over Gaza against them.

It appears that Saudi and Emirati absence was because they wanted to avoid escalating tensions with Iran or jeopardizing the peace push in Yemen by joining any naval action.

"Another war would mean moving from the political process into another military one that would really mess up the geopolitical map of the Middle East right now," said Eyad Alrefai of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah.

Spurred partly by worry about long-term US commitment, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have for years tried to reorient their regional policy, seeking new partners, taking a fresh look at ties with Israel and settling the rivalry with Iran.

The biggest steps in that process so far were the Chinese-mediated detente agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in February and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE in 2020.

But the Saudis also want to end their nearly 9-year-old war in Yemen, which has become a draining stalemate that has damaged their reputations and brought insecurity through Houthi drone attacks on airports and energy plants.

Peace in Yemen is important for the UAE too, even though it largely pulled out its forces in 2020. It still backs groups in Yemen and the Houthis targeted its capital Abu Dhabi with drone and missile attacks last year.