U.S. launches multinational push to safeguard Red Sea commerce

Mr. Austin, who is on a trip to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s headquarters in West Asia, said participating countries include the U.K., Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced the creation of a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea following a series of missile and drone attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis.

Mr. Austin, who is on a trip to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's headquarters in West Asia, said participating countries include the U.K., Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

The group will conduct joint patrols in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

In their response, Houthi rebels said they would not halt attacks on Red Sea shipping in solidarity. “Even if America succeeds in mobilising 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.

Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam said the “U.S.-formed coalition aims to protect Israel and militarise the sea,” adding that “whoever seeks to expand the conflict must bear the consequences of those actions.”

Mr. Austin. in a statement early on Tuesday, had said: "This is an international challenge that demands collective action. Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative".

In a virtual meeting with Ministers from more than 40 nations, Mr. Austin called on other countries to contribute as he condemned "reckless Houthi actions."