Calay News
On Monday, US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a coalition of ten countries to address attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, which are seen as retaliation for the Gaza war.
“The countries seeking to defend the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation must come together to address the challenge posed by this non-state actor,” stated Austin in a release. The coalition includes the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the Seychelles.
During a visit to Israel, Austin called on Iran to “cease” its support for “attacks against commercial ships.” Notably, Israel is not part of the coalition announced by Washington.
The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for two attacks on ships “linked to Israel” in the Red Sea on Monday. The rebels conducted a military operation against the Norwegian “M/V Swan Atlantic” and the “MSC Clara” after they allegedly refused to respond to the rebels’ contact calls.
Around 40% of global trade passes through the Bab Al Mandab Strait, the corridor connecting the Horn of Africa with the Arabian Peninsula, where Houthi attacks have escalated. The rebels have warned of assaulting any ship heading to Israeli ports and sailing off the coasts of Yemen in response to the conflict between the Israeli army and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza.
In response to the threats, five major shipping companies, including the world’s two largest maritime freight companies, announced last week that they would avoid the Red Sea route. The British oil company BP announced on Monday that it would suspend any shipments through this route, causing a spike in crude oil prices. Taiwanese shipping giant Evergreen also took similar measures.
The attacks have turned into “a maritime security crisis” with “commercial and economic implications in the region and beyond,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt of the analysis center Verisk Maplecroft.
The Norwegian ship “M/V Swan Atlantic” was hit on Monday while sailing in the Red Sea by an “unidentified object,” according to its owner, Norwegian shipping company Inventor Chemical Tankers. No crew members, all of whom were Indian nationals, were injured, and the ship suffered “limited damage,” the owner stated.
“The vessel has no connection to Israel,” emphasized the ship’s owner, revealing that the ship was traveling from France to the island of Réunion, a French territory in the Indian Ocean.
On Saturday, a US destroyer shot down 14 drones launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in the Red Sea, according to the US military. The UK also claims that one of its destroyers downed a suspected attack drone in the area.
The Gaza war erupted after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250, according to Israeli authorities. The Gaza Health Ministry, governed by Hamas, claims that over 19,453 people, mostly women and individuals under 18 years old, have died due to Israel’s offensive.
