More than 20 countries are now part of the US-led Red Sea coalition, Pentagon says

On Thursday, the United States Department of Defense announced that more than twenty nations have consented to participate in the project as new governments join it to defend commercial shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthi movement in Yemen.

Nevertheless, the latest figure from the Pentagon would imply that at least eight nations that have signed up have also declined to be publicly named. This is a sign of the political sensitivity of the operation, which comes at a time when tensions in the area are rising as a result of the confrontation between Israel and Hamas.

“We’ve had over 20 nations sign on to participate,” Major General Patrick Ryder stated, noting that Greece and Australia have also announced their intention to participate.

“We’ll allow other countries, defer to them to talk about their participation.”

It has been two days since the United States announced the commencement of Operation Prosperity Guardian. The United States claims that more than a dozen nations have agreed to take part in the operation, which would entail cooperative patrols in the seas of the Red Sea near Yemen.

According to Ryder, each nation will give whatever they can, and he referred to it as a “coalition of the willing.”

There are various instances in which vessels will be involved. “In other instances, it might involve staff or other forms of support,” he stated during a press briefing.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist party that is in control of Gaza, has resulted in the situation that is currently occurring in the Red Sea.

The battle started on October 7 when Hamas members poured across the Gaza border into southern Israel. According to Israeli authorities, the terrorists murdered around 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilian Israelis and foreigners.

Health professionals in the densely populated coastal enclave of Gaza have reported that almost 20,000 Palestinians have been murdered as a result of Israel’s retaliatory shelling and invasion of Gaza. Israeli officials have stated that the invasion and bombardment are intended to eradicate Hamas.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Iranian proxies, such as the Houthis and those affiliated with Hezbollah in Lebanon, have launched rockets into Israel. In the meantime, the Houthis have increased their number of strikes in the Red Sea. They have threatened to attack any ships that are en route to Israel and have issued a warning to shipping businesses to avoid interacting with Israeli ports.

The assaults have significantly disrupted a vital commerce route connecting Europe and North America with Asia through the Suez Canal. As a result, container shipping rates have skyrocketed because businesses are attempting to ship their products through other routes that are frequently longer.

The United States Navy, the British Navy, and the French Navy have all responded by shooting down Houthi drones and missiles. However, some critics in Washington argue that these defensive operations do not go far enough to dissuade the Houthis from continuing their attacks.