Pentagon launches 'multinational coalition' to combat Yemen in Red Sea
Sanaa reportedly rejected Washington's attempts at direct communications regarding the Yemeni armed forces' tactics against Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced on 18 December the creation of a multi-national coalition “to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea.
“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,” Austin’s statement reads.
Under the leadership of the already existing Task Force 153, set up in April of this year to “improve maritime security and capacity building” in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden, the nations included in Operation Prosperity Guardian are the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain.
Several other nations have reportedly agreed to be involved in the naval task force but “prefer not to be publicly named,” an unnamed US defense official told POLITICO.
The nations taking part in Washington's scheme will “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,” Austin said.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a high-ranking member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, said on social media: “[The US] repeatedly sought direct communication with the Republic of Yemen in Sana’a, but this was rejected.”
"It brings no honor to communicate directly with the killers of children of Gaza and Yemen,” he added, stressing that "[the US] are the terrorists.”
The formation of this Red Sea coalition follows the threats and attacks on Israeli-linked commercial vessels from Ansarallah and the Yemeni armed forces in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
This situation forced major shipping companies to suspend their operations in the Red Sea.
Washington has pressured other nations to join the coalition. One of these is Saudi Arabia, which the US is reportedly pressuring to delay signing a peace agreement with Yemen.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, senior political official and spokesman for Ansarallah, has previously said, “If Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of any coalition to attack Yemen, we will not leave an oil field or a gas field in Saudi Arabia or the Emirates, and we will target all ships transporting oil.”
The US war chief arrived in Israel on Monday to speak with senior Israeli leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“Attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop, and those committing the violence must be held accountable,” Austin said during a joint press conference.
“[I]t would compound this tragedy if all that was waiting for the Israeli people and your Palestinian neighbors at the end of this awful war was more insecurity, fury, and despair,” the secretary of state added. “As I have said, Israelis and Palestinians have both paid too bitter a price to just go back to October 6.”