New Delhi, July 30 -- RIYADH - Saudi Arabia is quietly reaching out to dozens of governments to build an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping from Yemen's Houthis, according to sources familiar with the diplomatic outreach, as the Iran-backed militia escalates attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and threatens to impose its own toll system on vessels transiting Bab el-Mandeb.

The membership of any coalition has not been finalized and remained under discussion as of Wednesday, with Riyadh in direct contact with Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain through phone calls in which GCC partners "stressed the importance of continuing efforts to de-escalate tensions," according to Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry. A Saudi official described th...