Greece announced on Thursday that it was part of the coalition, alongside France, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the Seychelles.
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More than twenty countries have now joined the coalition led by the United States and aimed at defending maritime traffic in the Red Sea, the Pentagon announced Thursday, December 21. A recent wave of attacks on ships by Houthi rebels, using drones and missiles, threatens to disrupt global trade flows, with major shipping firms cutting off passage through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Faced with this situation, Washington set up a new multinational maritime protection force at the beginning of the week. Greece announced on Thursday that it was part of the coalition, alongside the first partner countries: France, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the Seychelles .
The coalition will be a “road policeman” in the Red Sea
Yemeni rebels “attack the prosperity and economic well-being of nations around the world”the Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday, calling them “bandits on the international highway that is the Red Sea”. This military coalition “must act as a road policeman, patrolling the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to respond to [appels de] commercial ships passing through this vital international route, and assist them if necessary.”he added.
He called on the Houthis to stop their attacks in the Red Sea. A senior member of the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group said earlier this week that these attacks would only stop “if Israel stops its crimes and food, medicine and fuel reach the besieged population” of the Gaza Strip, as part of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
