Simulated drones and missiles are displayed in a square in Sana'a, Yemen, on December 7, 2023.
Mohammed Hamoud | Getty Images
U.S. officials on Monday expanded a multinational naval force in the Red Sea to defend against escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels that have hampered international shipping routes.
“The recent escalation of reckless Houthi attacks from Yemen threatens free trade, endangers innocent sailors and violates international law,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in the announcement.
The new defense, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, builds on the might of the Combined Maritime Forces, a 39-member international coalition. The CMF operates under the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain to protect maritime access and stability.
A subdivision of the armed forces, called Task Force 153, is dedicated to the Red Sea. “What we're trying to do is strengthen it and strengthen it and make it operational in a way that maybe it wasn't before these Houthi attacks,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday via Task Force 153
The expansion comes as a flood of companies disrupt their shipping activities along the popular Suez Canal route due to the increased threat from the Houthis. Oil giant BP said Monday it would temporarily suspend shipping in the Red Sea, joining companies including shipping companies Maersk, MSC and others.
The aim of Operation Prosperity Guardian is to deter further Houthi attacks as the US fears a possible flare-up of regional conflicts as part of the Israel-Hamas war. The US has so far shot down dozens of Houthi drones that targeted commercial ships.
John Kirby, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, speaks during the daily briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, June 5, 2023.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is currently visiting Israel and has a series of meetings scheduled on Tuesday to discuss further responses to the Houthi attacks with regional officials. Kirby said he expects more details on the Red Sea defense strategy to be announced after these meetings.
In recent weeks, Yemen's Houthi rebel group has launched a series of drone strikes against commercial ships crossing the Red Sea. The Iran-backed Houthis have previously warned that every Israeli-linked ship was a “legitimate target” until the end of the war in Gaza and that many merchant ships had been caught in the crossfire.