US launches Red Sea force against attacks by Yemen's Houthis

A multinational naval force will be deployed in the Red Sea to defend against attacks from Houthi militants that have disrupted international shipping routes, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced.

"The recent escalation in reckless Houthi attacks originating from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, endangers innocent mariners, and violates international law," Austin, who is on a trip to Bahrain, home to the US Navy's headquarters in the Middle East, said.

Dubbed "Operation Prosperity Guardian," the US-led coalition will include Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

They will reinforce a US and Egyptian-led force already operating in the region.

The Iran-backed Houthi militants began targeting ships along the key route in response to Israel's war on Hamas. The militants said they would not halt attacks on Red Sea shipping despite the announcement of the new maritime protection force.

"Even if America succeeds in mobilizing the entire world, our military operations will not stop... no matter the sacrifices it costs us," senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said on X, formerly Twitter.

He added that the group would "respond to any aggression with military operations that are unprecedented."

In the last four weeks, Houthi militants have attacked or seized commercial ships 12 times and still hold 25 members of the MV Galaxy Leader hostage in Yemen, according to the US.

The UN Security Council discussed the Houthi threat on Monday but took no immediate action.

About 12% of world shipping traffic usually transits via the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia, passing into the Red Sea waters off Yemen.

The shipping company Maersk announced that it had decided to reroute its ships around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Earlier oil giant BP said it had paused shipments through the Red Sea, pushing up oil prices.

The US military's Central Command reported two attacks on commercial vessels on Monday. According to the military, a tanker off Yemen was hit by an attack drone and a ballistic missile at about the same time that a cargo ship reported an explosion in the water near them.