Huthi want to attack ships despite US military alliance

The Houthi rebels are responding to the military coalition forged by the USA in the Red Sea with threats. They want to continue attacking ships - regardless of their own casualties. Meanwhile, Germany is considering joining the American military alliance.

The Houthi rebels, who are allied with Iran, have announced that they will continue their attacks on ships in the region despite the formation of an international military coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea. "Even if the USA succeeds in mobilizing the entire world, our military operations will not end," said the high-ranking Huthi representative Mohammed al-Buchaiti at X. On Monday, the USA announced the formation of the military coalition "Operation Prosperity Guardian", in which nine other countries are involved in addition to the USA. Germany was not initially involved.

Huthi representative Buchaiti went on to emphasize that it "does not matter what sacrifices it costs us". A Houthi spokesperson explained that the aim of the coalition formed by the USA was to protect Israel and "militarize the sea". Anyone who expands the conflict must "bear the consequences of these actions".

According to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the USA formed the "multinational security initiative" called "Operation Prosperity Guardian" on Monday. In addition to the USA, it includes Bahrain, France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles and Spain.

Germany is not involved for the time being. According to the Federal Ministry of Defense, it is currently examining the possibility of participating in the military protection of trade routes in the region. A request from Washington is being examined.

USA: "Unprecedented and unacceptable"

According to the French Ministry of Defense, the coalition held its first video conference on Tuesday morning. However, the ministry did not provide any information on the content or exact participants.

US Secretary of Defense Austin, who is currently on a trip to the Middle East and the Gulf region, condemned the Houthi attacks. In a Pentagon statement, he called the attacks "unprecedented and unacceptable". They threatened free trade.

On Monday, Austin had stated that the deployment of the Red Sea Protection Coalition was intended to secure "freedom of navigation for all countries" and strengthen "regional security and prosperity". The Pentagon chief had previously warned Israel: "Iran's support for Houthi attacks on merchant ships must stop."

Several attacks on Israel

Since the beginning of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, the Iran-affiliated Houthi militia in Yemen has repeatedly fired drones and missiles at Israel and attacked ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi rebels are threatening to attack any ship on its way to Israel unless more food and medicine is allowed to be transported to the Gaza Strip.

The Red Sea is an important shipping route through which up to twelve percent of world trade passes. Yemen is located on the Bab-al-Mandeb strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

On Monday, the British oil company BP also announced that it was suspending all voyages through the Red Sea due to the repeated attacks. At the weekend, four major shipping companies had already announced that they would no longer sail their ships through the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait with immediate effect, including the Danish company Maersk and the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd.