By Pentagon announces start of freedom of navigation operation in Red Sea – ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’
The U.S. authorities and a number of other states intend to launch an operation in the Red Sea to ensure freedom of navigation and safety of ships in the face of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to a statement by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law,” the statement said. It stressed that the free passage of ships through the Red Sea is vital to international trade.
U.S. to Launch ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ in Response to Red Sea Houthi Threats
According to the top U.S. defense official, the operation will aim to “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 also said that will bring together Bahrain, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, Spain and the United States.
Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they would target Israeli territory and would not allow any ships linked to it to pass through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave was over.
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