A New Middle East Power Struggle Is Taking Shape in the Red Sea

By Editorial Dept - Nov 06, 2026, 6:30 AM CST Israel’s security establishment, in a panic of its own design, is referring to the Turkish-led defense bloc forming around Saudi Arabia as a “Sunni ring of fire,” the successor to the Shiite ring Iran built from Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iraqi militias.The bloc’s founding document is the Mecca pact, signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, with Turkey’s parliament set to ratify this week, just days after Egypt’s parliament voted to let Sisi defend Saudi territory.For Riyadh, this bloc is intended to defend Saudi oil infrastructure against Houthi missiles and drones, but for Israel, it’s a threat, and Tel Aviv has spent months trying to persuade Washington that Turkey, the bloc’s anchor, belongs on the West’s enemy list. It’s been piling on the pressure, including an airstrike in Syria, an air-defense sale to Greece, Armenian genocide recognition, an embassy on the Gulf of Aden and a campaign on American television to keep Turkey out of the F-35 program.The Red Sea is now Saudi Arabia’s exit from Hormuz. The East-West pipeline carries crude to Yanbu, which loaded about 2.5 million bpd in October, and those cargoes leave through Suez or Bab el-Mandeb. The Houthis seized more of Yemen’s Red Sea coast in September and are pushing toward the strait.The Gulf of Aden is a particularly fragile venue, with two camps already facing off for control of this Red Sea access point. One camp contains Israel and the UAE in Somaliland; the other camp is Turkey… COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP (FREE) GLOBAL ENERGY ALERT ($697 $279 PER YEAR) Breaking energy stories before they hit the mainstream media Top quality analysis from industry veterans Exclusive investment opportunities Digestible data breakdowns Geopolitical insights from our network of over 600 operatives Risk-free 30-day money back guarantee