The Protection Division described Yemen’s Houthi rebels as “bandits” preying on service provider ships passing via the “worldwide freeway” that’s the Pink Sea. That makes the brand new U.S.-organized Operation Prosperity Guardian multinational job drive a maritime freeway patrol charged with retaining the peace within the area, a Pentagon spokesman mentioned Thursday.

The Iran-backed Houthis started launching drones and missiles at service provider ships passing via the Bab al-Mandab Strait linking the Pink Sea to the Gulf of Aden after Hamas launched its October 7 assault on Israel. Greater than 20 nations have now signed on to take part within the mission, Protection Division officers mentioned.

“That is a global downside that requires a global response. We’ll proceed to work with this ‘coalition of the keen’ and all international locations will be capable to contribute what they really feel that they will,” Air Drive Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman informed reporters. “In some instances, that can embrace vessels [and] in different instances, it might embrace workers or different sorts of help.” 

Operation Prosperity Guardian will fall underneath Mixed Maritime Forces, a global naval coalition based mostly in Bahrain underneath the command of the U.S. fifth Fleet.

“The Houthis aren’t attacking only one nation. They’re attacking the financial well-being and prosperity of countries world wide,” Gen. Ryder mentioned. “This can be a defensive coalition that’s there to assist reassure international delivery and mariners as they transit the straits.”

A number of main delivery corporations and oil corporations have suspended journey via the Pink Sea after greater than a dozen civilian ships got here underneath assault for the reason that begin of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Houthi officers say their marketing campaign is a present of help for the Palestinian trigger within the combating. 

Pentagon officers declined to elaborate on the technique and techniques Operation Prosperity Guardian will make use of to counter the Houthi assaults on service provider ships. The forces will cowl an space of about 450 miles, the gap from Washington, D.C. to Boston.

“We’re going to proceed to work with the worldwide group to safeguard these vessels which are transiting these waterways,” Gen. Ryder mentioned. “I’d hope that the Houthis would perceive the stress that they’re going to convey onto themselves in the event that they don’t cease these assaults.”