US unveils new multinational naval protection force to stop Houthi attacks in Red Sea

The United States and a host of other nations are creating a new global security force ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ to help protect and defend ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Tuesday (19 December) in Bahrain.
The naval force is created amid growing concerns over the stability of supply chains and oil prices as multiple shipping companies avoid the key trading route after their ships had been attacked — and suffered serious damage — by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Some freight companies ordered their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation has been addressed. “This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Austin said in a statement released just after midnight in Bahrain. The so-called ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ will also be joined by the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
Some of the participating countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The new mission will be coordinated by the already existing Combined Task Force 153, which was set up last year to improve maritime security around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. But experts have questioned if the US-led naval force can really stop the attacks coming from Yemen, since the Houthis have pledged they won’t stop attacking ships unless Israel stops its attacks on Gaza. After first starting their operations against Israel by launching missiles and drones on the southern parts of Israel, the Houthi rebels then changed tactics, instead focusing on ships near their shores. They have signaled they are open to talks, but diplomacy has so far failed to stop their attacks. So far, the shipping industry doesn’t appear convinced the task force can halt them.