The modern designated Red Sea is a sea located between Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea on the west and both Saudi Arabia and Yemen on its eastern coast. Yet the ancient designation of the Erythrean sea (lit. "Red Sea") was much larger in its extent to include even the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, as well as both of the gulfs of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba (see Erythrean sea).
It was this sea which of Moses and the children of Israel crossed during the Hebrew Exodus as recorded in the biblical account[1] wherein God parted the sea.
Yet the ancient usage of the name "Red Sea" has left significant debate as 'where' is meant by the reference. One position is that the Hebrews crossed the modern Gulf of Suez en-route to the traditional Mount Sinai as named by Constantine's mother. The other is that they crossed the Gulf of Aqaba en-route to the ultra prominent Jabal al-Lawz (Arabic: جَبَل ٱللَّوْز, lit. "mountain of almonds") in Saudi Arabia, boasting its strangely burnt top and is parallel[2] to Jerusalem in the same longitudinal line as stated by Paul the Apostle.[3]
The Red Sea is also the site of the Suez Canal.
On December 18, 2023 Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced by the Biden White House to counter threats to international shipping arising by Houthi proxies of the Republic of Iran.