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Agence France-Presse

The United States announced a 10-nation coalition to quell Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea, with Britain, France, Bahrain and Italy among countries joining the “multinational security initiative”.
“Countries that seek to uphold the foundational principle of freedom of navigation must come together to tackle the challenge posed by this non-state actor,” US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Monday.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Red Sea, imperilling a transit route that carries up to 12 per cent of global trade.
The security coalition, Austin said, will operate “with the goal of ensuring freedom of navigation for all countries and bolstering regional security and prosperity”.


It includes the United States, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, Austin said.
Some of the countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
‘Fragile’ Saudi peace efforts hamper US response to Houthi attacks in Red Sea
Several other countries have also agreed to be involved in the operation but prefer not to be publicly named, a US defence official said on the condition of anonymity to discuss additional details of the new mission that have not been publicly announced.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said earlier they had attacked two “Israeli-linked” vessels in the Red Sea in solidarity with Gaza, as more companies halt transit through the troubled but vital waterway.
Last month, they seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel, the Galaxy Leader, and its 25 international crew.
The attacks on the Norwegian-owned Swan Atlantic and another ship identified by the Houthis as the MSC Clara are the latest in a flurry of maritime incidents that are disrupting global trade in an attempt to pressure Israel over its war against Hamas militants.
In a statement, the Yemeni rebels said they had carried out a “military operation against two ships linked to the Zionist entity” using naval drones.
They vowed to “continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports … from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas” until more food and medicine is allowed into Gaza.




But the Swan Atlantic’s owner, Norway’s Inventor Chemical Tankers, said in a statement the ship was carrying biofuel feedstock from France to Reunion Island.
It said the vessel has “no Israeli link” and was managed by a Singaporean firm, adding that the Indian crew were unharmed and the vessel sustained limited damage.
British oil giant BP became the latest to suspend transit through the Red Sea on Monday, while Taiwan shipping firm Evergreen said it was suspending its Israeli cargo shipments with immediate effect.
Cargo ship in Red Sea hit, set ablaze by projectile launched from Yemen
Frontline, one of the world’s largest tanker companies, also said it was re-routing ships and would “only allow new business” that could be routed via South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
That route is far longer and uses more fuel.
The Red Sea attacks have forced insurance companies to significantly increase premiums on ships, making it uneconomical for some to transit through the Suez Canal.

Italian-Swiss giant Mediterranean Shipping Company, France’s CMA CGM, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, Belgium’s Euronav and Denmark’s A.P Moller-Maersk – the latter accounting for 15 per cent of global container freight – have all stopped using the Red Sea until further notice.
The attacks have become “a maritime security crisis” with “commercial and economic implications in the region and beyond,” Torbjorn Soltvedt of analysis firm Verisk Maplecroft said.
Monday’s attack took place as the Pentagon chief visited Israel after a stop in Bahrain, home base of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
“In the Red Sea, we’re leading a multinational maritime task force to uphold the bedrock principle of freedom of navigation. Iran’s support for Houthi attacks on commercial vessels must stop,” Austin said at a news conference.
On Saturday, a US destroyer shot down 14 drones in the Red Sea launched from rebel-controlled areas of Yemen, the US military said.
Britain said one of its destroyers had also brought down a suspected attack drone in the area.
To date the US has not struck back at the Houthis operating in Yemen or targeted any of the militants’ weapons or other sites. On Monday Austin did not answer a question as to why the Pentagon had not conducted a counterstrike.
Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said neutral Oman had launched mediation efforts to safeguard shipping using the waterway.
“Under the sponsorship of our brothers in the Sultanate of Oman, communication and discussion continue with a number of international parties regarding operations in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.
Additional reporting by Associated Press


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Middle East

US announces 10-nation task force to counter Red Sea attacks amid Israel-Gaza war

A Houthi forces helicopter approaching the Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea in November. Photo: Houthi Media Centre via AP


Britain’s HMS Diamond launching a missile at a drone over the Red Sea. Photo: UK Ministry of Defence via AP

US envoys work for hostage release deal, scale-down of Israel-Gaza war

Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip, in this picture released on December 18. Photo: Israel Defence Forces via Reuters

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant give a joint press conference in Tel Aviv. Photo: AFP

Three Israeli hostages appear in footage by Hamas at a location given as Gaza. Photo: Hamas Military Wing via Reuters

Palestinians wait to collect free food handouts in Rafah, southern Gaza. Photo: Bloomberg

‘Fragile’ Saudi peace efforts in Yemen hamper US response to Houthi attacks amid Israel-Gaza war

A Houthi fighter keeps watch on the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship that was seized by the group on December 5. Photo: EPA-EFE 

Yemenis protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and leaders of Yemen’s Houthi movement recently agreed to the terms of a peace agreement after 18 months of negotiations. Photo: EPA-EFE

Yemenis watch a televised statement by Houthis military spokesman Yahya Saree. Photo: EPA-EFE

An armed Houthi fighter walks through the beach with the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the background, seized by the Houthis offshore of the Al-Salif port on the Red Sea. Photo: EPA-EFE

A Houthi fighter keeps watch on the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship. Photo: EPA-EFE

Israel-Gaza war: Houthi attacks push shipping giants to pause Red Sea voyages

Containers are seen on Maersk Gibraltar container ship at the port of Algeciras, Spain in January. Photo: Reuters

Containers from shipping giants Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd are piled up in the freight yard of Berlin’s Behala west harbour in February 2020. Photo: AFP

US warship shoots down drones as commercial vessels hit by Houthi attack in Red Sea

The USS Carney shooting at Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea in October. File photo: US Navy

The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney. File photo: US Navy

A Houthi forces helicopter approaching the Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea in November. Photo: Houthi Media Centre via AP

Helicopter-borne Houthi attack on Galaxy Leader cargo ship raises risks in crucial Red Sea

A Houthi forces helicopter approaching the Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on Sunday. Photo: Houthi Media Centre via AP

Houthi rebels in boats surrounding the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea. Photo: Houthi Media Centre via dpa

Houthi rebels boarding the Galaxy Leader. Photo: Houthi Media Centre via AP

Houthi rebels seizing control of the bridge of the Galaxy Leader. Photo: Houthi Media Centre via dpa

News

World

Task force aims to protect commercial vessels travelling through the Red Sea from attacks by Houthi rebels
Iran-backed Yemen Houthis have threatened to target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of nationality


Iran-backed Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Red Sea, imperilling a transit route that carries up to 12 per cent of global trade.
