[Scholar: Actual Deployment of Red Sea Maritime Coalition Depends on Houthi Action] According to Al Jazeera, a multinational naval coalition is preparing to deploy to the Red Sea to protect shipping safety, and will be under the command of a unified command. Sultan Barakat, a scholar at Hamad bin Khalifa University, said this announcement will test the commitments of countries that have previously expressed their willingness to participate in related operations. “In our region, we have repeatedly called for the establishment of various coalitions led by countries such as Saudi Arabia, but these coalitions have never materialized,” he said. He added that the force is unlikely to be deployed unless the Houthi rebels cease their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. Barakat added that the multinational cooperation model prepared for the Bab el-Mandeb Strait cannot be replicated in the Strait of Hormuz because the tensions involving Iran are more complex.
