The US is to announce the launch of an expanded maritime protection force involving Arab states to combat the increasingly frequent Houthi attacks being mounted from Yemen’s ports on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Much like the Task Force 153 already operating out of Bahrain, the larger protection force is designed to provide reassurance to commercial shipping companies that Houthi attacks will be seen off, and that the sea remains safe for commercial shipping. The US-led Combined Task Force 153 has already operated in the Red Sea, countering Somali piracy as well as also other threats. On a visit to Israel, the French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, said the Houthi attacks “cannot be left unanswered”. The Iranian defence minister, Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani, said any multinational taskforce would face extraordinary problems trying to protect shipping in the Red Sea.

Source: The Guardian December 18, 2023 22:12 UTC