The new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict has made the situation in the Middle East tense again, although the Yemeni Houthis did not succeed in attacking Israel itself, but launched an attack on Israeli-related ships in the Red Sea, which made Western countries feel a crisis, and some Western companies even stopped shipping through the Red Sea!
The Red Sea, an important passage connecting the Suez Canal, affects one-tenth of the world's maritime life**, and the security of the Red Sea is of paramount importance to Western countries relying on sea transportation to import oil, and some Western oil companies are also nervous. The United States announced on December 18 that it would form a multinational force to escort ships, and a total of nine countries have joined Operation Prosperity Guardian. The Houthis warned that if the Americans dared to provoke, they would not sit idly by!
At present, the U.S. Navy has sent three aircraft carrier battle groups, the USS Eisenhower, the USS Bataan and the USS Carl Vinson, into the relevant waters, which is the largest military force deployed by the United States to escort the convoy, which is very rare! In addition to this, the United States has mobilized other countries, and the British and French ** have already launched operations in the region, once shooting down Houthi drones. With the arrival of several other countries, the U.S.-led squad will be further strengthened.
However, what is surprising is that only one Muslim country participated in this operation, Bahrain, Egypt, Pakistan and other countries that the United States claimed to be willing, did not join! On top of that, Saudi Arabia did not participate this time, Saudi Arabia has always been a close ally of the United States, Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthis are also mortal enemies, and 36% of Saudi exports depend on Red Sea ports!
It stands to reason that Saudi Arabia should participate in this operation, but unexpectedly, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates have openly stated that they are not interested in this operation! There could be several reasons for this!
First, the Yemeni Houthis have only said before that they will attack ships related to Israel and will not attack ships of other countries! The United States organized the Red Sea escort, most likely, to protect the interests of Israel. As long as Saudi Arabia does not participate, its ships will not be attacked, and Saudi Arabia does not want to cause trouble and expand the scale of the conflict, after all, there is a trend of reconciliation in the Middle East this year!
Immediately after the U.S. announced the creation of a multinational force, the Houthis said they would attack ships from coalition countries that joined U.S. escorts in the Red Sea. That is, the United States brought these 9 countries to the fire pit, and the ships of these countries also became targets for attack!
Second, Saudi Arabia once fought a big war with the Yemeni Houthis, but as a result, the Saudi army was well-equipped, but it was beaten to the ground by the Yemeni guerrillas. The reputation of the Saudi army has been damaged, and the Houthis in Yemen are getting stronger and stronger, and the Saudis want to get out of the war with the Houthis!
The strength of the Houthis, after years of development, is no longer the guerrillas it used to be! Now Yemen's Houthi armed forces have advanced arsenals, equipped with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and attack drones, etc., and the Yemeni Houthi military parade in September this year displayed a large number of advanced equipment and missiles.
Saudi-made tanks destroyed by the Houthis in Yemen.
Among them, the Houthi Storm ballistic missiles and Quds-4 missiles have a range of 2,000 kilometers, allowing them to hit targets farther away and improve their strike capabilities. The Houthis have launched drone attacks on airports and energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which have made the people of both countries feel insecure, and it is clear that the two countries do not want to provoke them again!
Third, this year, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a settlement under the mediation of China! And this time, although Iran did not become an anti-American leader, it did support and help the allies of the resistance axis behind the scenes. The Houthis are behind Iran, and if Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis go to war again, it will inevitably destroy relations with Iran!
Now, Saudi Arabia is also seeking a strategic shift, mainly because Saudi Arabia has some distrust of long-term U.S. commitments. Saudi Arabia has not only reconciled with Iran, but has also made important progress in normalizing relations with Israel under the help of the United States. However, due to the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Saudi Arabia has suspended relevant operations.
Now that Israeli military operations in Gaza have caused a large number of civilians**, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is getting worse day by day. As a major power in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has obviously failed to demonstrate its responsibilities and obligations as a regional power and has not taken substantive measures against Israel in this war in the Middle East.
In this case, if the Saudis join this US military operation, it will obviously put the Saudis at risk, because of the Israeli atrocities in Gaza, the anger of the Arabs may also turn to the Saudis! Either way, it's a good deal not to join.
Moreover, this US action may also be an attempt to strengthen its control over the Middle East. Previously, the UAE announced its withdrawal from the US-led naval alliance, and Iran then said that it would establish a joint maritime force in the Middle East, saying that the Middle East would protect itself, and this operation directly excluded the United States.
And joining the United States in this action, at most, can only bring the relationship with the United States closer, and you have to contribute your own money and efforts! The United States has been evading bluntly saying that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will not participate in this maritime operation, and it is clear that the United States is not surprised by this at all! At present, Saudi Arabia no longer trusts the United States and is looking for new partners!
It is worth mentioning that in recent years, Saudi Arabia and China have deepened cooperation in the military field, and Saudi Arabia has purchased a large number of first-class equipment from China! At the same time, in December, Putin appeared on an "arrest warrant" to visit Middle Eastern countries and hold talks with senior leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, presumably with the aim of dealing with Western sanctions and blockades, finding new partners, and achieving a diplomatic breakthrough. And the countries of the Middle East also need Russia's support in the new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and at the same time balance the influence of the United States in the Middle East!
There is a lot of help for the righteous, but little help for the unjust! After the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the United States showed a biased and conniving stance towards Israel, which made Netanyahu full of confidence, and the Israeli army acted arbitrarily in Gaza, causing a large number of civilians, and it is obvious that the United States has become Israel's first.
Such an America, who will trust! Saudi Arabia is not really stupid and has a lot of money!