ALBAWABA - In a statement, the U.S. Defense Department announced the establishment of a multinational mission on Monday to counter attacks by Yemen's Houthis on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The coalition gathers 10 countries including the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the escalating attacks by Houthis threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent mariners, and violate international law.
"This is an international challenge that demands collective action. Therefore, today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea," said Austin.
The main goal behind the coalition is to jointly address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity, according to Austin.
In response to the coalition, a Houthi spokesperson stated: "The American-formed coalition is to protect Israel and will not stop our operations in support of Gaza".
Earlier this week, the U.S. formally called on Australia to send a warship to the US-led maritime task force in the Red Sea to repel the Houthi group's targeting of Israeli vessels, local media said on Thursday.
ABC News reported that Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said Canberra is considering the request by Washington but that the focus is on naval efforts closer to home.
"I want to emphasize the focus of our efforts is on our immediate region and the regional presence deployments that we have been engaged in over the last few months," ABC quoted Marles.
Last week, the Pentagon stated that it is prepared to assist in the formation of a maritime task force to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea, following a series of Houthi attacks on ships believed to be Israeli-owned, attacks that came amid Israel's ongoing aggression on Gaza.
