DUBAI: The United States condemned “unprece­dented” attacks by Yemeni fighters on Red Sea shipping as the Houthis pledged on Tuesday to continue military operations despite the announcement of a new maritime protection force.

The flurry of drone and missile attacks by the Houthis, the latest of which targeted two vessels on Monday, threatens to upend global trade flows, with major shipping firms halting traffic through the Bab Al Mandeb strait.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin warned on Tuesday during a visit to Bahrain that the attacks “threaten” the free flow of commerce, a day after he announced the multinational force to quell Houthi missile and drone attacks.

The Pentagon identified participating nations, led by the United States, as including Bahrain, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

The force will jointly carry out patrols in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to try to safeguard commercial shipping against attacks by Houthi.

“This is an international challenge that demands collective action. Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative,” Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Mr Austin spoke during a virtual meeting with representatives of 43 countries, as well as the European Union and Nato, to discuss the increased threat to maritime security in the Red Sea, the statement said.

But this drew the ire of Houthis, who pledged to continue attacks.

“Even if America succeeds in mobilising the entire world, our military operations will not stop... no matter the sacrifices it costs us,” Houthi official Mohammed Al Bukhaiti said on X.

According to analysts, the maritime taskforce announced by Washington can do little to halt attacks by the Houthis, who command an arsenal of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

“The Houthis have an extended arsenal of different drones and missiles that they can shoot... and some of them will be difficult to intercept by your average navy ship,” Andreas Krieg, a professor at King’s College London, said.]

Soaring cost

Insurance costs have soared, prompting major shipping firms to reroute their vessels around the southern tip of Africa, despite the higher fuel costs of the much longer voyage.

Denmark’s A.P Moller-Maersk, which accounts for 15 percent of global container freight, is among the shipping giants that have suspended Red Sea voyages until further notice.

In a statement on Tuesday, it said “all vessels previously paused and due to sail through the region will now be rerouted around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope”.

As of Monday, “Maersk had approximately 20 vessels that had paused transits, out of which half were waiting”.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2023