WASHINGTON – The Pentagon on Monday announced a new partnership to counter an increasing number of Iranian proxy attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The announcement by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin comes days after two of the world’s largest shipping companies, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, announced they were suspending operations on key trade routes following repeated drone and ballistic missile attacks 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 in reckless Houthi attacks originating in Yemen threatens the free flow of trade, endangers innocent seafarers and violates the law international law.”
The US 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, Seychelles and Spain.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made the announcement on Monday. AP
Some countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Other countries have also agreed to be involved in the operation but did not want to be named publicly, a defense official told the Associated Press.
The US Navy has already sent two guided-missile destroyers – the USS Carney and the USS Mason – to patrol the Red Sea, which separates Egypt from Saudi Arabia.
The order follows a December 3 attack in which the Houthis attacked three commercial ships with missiles.
The US Navy has already sent two 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 attack, shooting down three more drones sent from Yemen in the process.
“This attack represents 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 various countries around the world.”
Iran-backed militias across the Middle East have increased the number of attacks on US ships, foreign and commercial vessels and American military personnel following the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
This handout 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 Red Sea. US NAVY/AFP via Getty Images
The US has yet to strike back at the Houthis operating in Yemen, nor has it targeted any jihadist arms or other sites.
At a press conference Monday in Tel Aviv, Austin declined to answer when asked why a counterattack had not taken place.
“This is an international problem,” he said, “and it deserves an international response.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
