U.S. launches Red Sea force as ships reroute to avoid attacks
By Phil Stewart
MANAMA (Reuters) -Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday said the United States was leading a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea as attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi militants forced more major shipping companies to reroute.
The Houthis have stepped up the missile and drone attacks they began last month against international vessels sailing through the Red Sea, in response to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.
The attacks this week forced oil major BP (NYSE:BP) and a slew of freight firms including Maersk to divert shipments normally made through the Suez Canal around the Cape of Good Hope, adding days to journey times and incurring higher costs.
Israel's 10-week-old war with Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza, has drawn in the United States and its allies on the side of Israel, and Iran and its Arab proxy forces on the side of Hamas, risking a wider regional conflict.
Austin, who is on a trip to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's headquarters in the Middle East, said the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain were among nations involved in the Red Sea security operation.
The group will conduct joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
«This is an international challenge that demands collective action,» Austin said in a statement, announcing the initiative as «Operation Prosperity Guardian».
In a virtual meeting with ministers from more than 40 nations, Austin called on other countries to contribute as he condemned «reckless Houthi actions.»
Austin's announcement however leaves many questions unanswered, including how many other countries are willing to do what mostly U.S. warships have done in
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