The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released Nov. 20, 2023. (Credit: Houthi Military Media/Handout via Reuters)
LONDON — A British Royal Navy destroyer has joined a new international maritime protection force to protect shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the government in London said Monday.
HMS Diamond is part of the Operation Prosperity Guardian task force seeking to deter attacks from Iran-backed Yemeni rebels on commercial vessels in the busy Bab al-Mandeb strait.
The United States announced the 10-nation coalition on Monday, promising a multinational response to the Houthi drone and missile strikes disrupting shipping.
The Houthi rebels are considered part of the "Axis of Resistance" in the region, which also includes Iran, Syria, and Lebanese Hezbollah. Houthi rebels have declared that their attacks on ships in the Red Sea are carried out in solidarity with their ally Hamas and the people of Gaza.
A Dec. 9 statement from the group explained that "if Gaza does not receive the food and medicine it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces."
UK response
On Monday, British energy giant BP announced it "has decided to temporarily pause all transits through the Red Sea," in response to consistent attacks by Houthi rebels on ships passing through this vital shipping passage.
"These illegal attacks are an unacceptable threat to the global economy, undermining regional security and are threatening to drive up fuel prices," said UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps.
"This is an international problem that requires an international solution. That is why HMS Diamond has joined Operation Prosperity Guardian.
"This new task force will protect shipping and vital trade routes in the Red Sea, where large amounts of goods and oil transit through to Europe and on to the UK."
Shapps sent HMS Diamond to the region last month to join the frigate HMS Lancaster, three mine hunters and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship as part of the UK's longstanding maritime presence in the Gulf.
It arrived in the Red Sea over the weekend and on Saturday shot down a suspected Houthi attack drone that was tracking commercial shipping, the Ministry of Defense said.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman told reporters: "We are confident that a task force with the US [and] UK navies in particular and with our French allies provides considerable capacity to deter future attacks and protect commercial shipping."
LONDON — A British Royal Navy destroyer has joined a new international maritime protection force to protect shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the government in London said Monday.
HMS Diamond is part of the Operation Prosperity Guardian task force seeking to deter attacks from Iran-backed Yemeni rebels on commercial vessels in the busy Bab...