USA and other countries will create a new force to protect the ships that pass through Red Seawhere some have been attacked with drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday in Bahrain.
The severity of the attacks, several of which have damaged ships, has led some shipping companies to order their ships to stand by and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation can be resolved. .
“This is an international challenge that requires collective action”Austin said in a statement issued shortly after midnight in Bahrain. “That is why today I announce the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a major new multinational security initiative.”
The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join the United States in the new mission, Austin said. Some of the countries will conduct joint patrols, while others will provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Other countries have also agreed to participate in the operation, but prefer not to be named publicly, a defense official said on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the new mission that have not been publicly announced.
The mission will be coordinated by the existing Combined Task Force 153, created in April 2022 to improve maritime security in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. The group has had 39 member countries, but officials were working to determine which of them would participate in this latest project.
Three US Navy destroyers – USS Carney, USS Stethem and USS Mason – have been deployed daily through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to help deter and respond to Houthi attacks.
The expanded operation came after three commercial vessels were hit by missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthis on December 3.
To date, the United States has not counterattacked the Houthis or attacked any of the Yemeni fighters’ weapons or other facilities. On Monday, Austin did not respond to a question about why the Pentagon had not fought back.
Source: Gestion
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