WASHINGTON – The Pentagon on Monday announced a new partnership to counter the growing number of attacks by Iranian proxies on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s announcement came days after two of the world’s largest shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, announced they would pause operations on the vital trade route following repeated drone and missile attacks. ballistic missiles launched by Tehran-backed Houthi forces based in Yemen.
“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Austin said in a statement from Bahrain, adding: “The recent escalation of reckless Houthi attacks originating in Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent sailors and violates international law.”
The United States will be joined in the new coalition – dubbed “Operation Prosperity Guardian” by the Pentagon – by the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles and Spain.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement Monday. AP
Some 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 do not want to be named publicly, a defense official told the Associated Press.
The US Navy has already sent two of its guided missile destroyers – the USS Carney and the USS Mason – to patrol the Red Sea, which separates Egypt from Saudi Arabia.
That order followed a Dec. 3 attack in which the Houthis attacked three commercial ships with missiles.
The US Navy has already sent two of its guided missile destroyers – the USS Carney and the USS Mason (pictured) – to patrol the Red Sea, which separates Egypt from Saudi Arabia. REUTERS
The USS Carney responded to the attacks, shooting down three other drones sent from Yemen in the process.
“These attacks pose a direct threat to international trade and maritime security,” US Central Command said in a statement at the time. “They have endangered the lives of international crews representing several countries around the world.”
Iran-backed militias across the Middle East have increased the number of attacks against American ships, commercial and foreign vessels, and American military personnel following the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
This photo courtesy of the US Navy taken on October 19, 2023 shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeating a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Sea Red. US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images
The United States has not yet counterattacked the Houthis operating in Yemen, nor has it struck any of the jihadists’ weapons or other sites.
At a news conference Monday in Tel Aviv, Austin refused to answer when asked why there had been no counterattack.
“This is an international problem,” he said, “and it deserves an international response.”
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn