Commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet: There is no sign of an end to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
09 January 1402
The commander of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain, said Saturday there was no sign of an end to the Houthis’ “reckless” attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.
This comment by Admiral Brad Cooper comes at the same time as more countries join the international maritime mission known as “Operation Welfare Guardian” in order to protect ships passing through this vital waterway.
In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, he said that since the announcement of “Operation Guardian of Welfare” 10 days ago, 1,200 commercial ships have passed through the Red Sea and none of them have been hit by drone or missile attacks.
During his recent visit to Bahrain and visit to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the formation of this naval coalition and said: “This is an international challenge that requires collective action.”
With the escalation of Houthi attacks on commercial ships passing through the Red Sea, several shipping companies suspended the use of this strategic and very important route.
The commander of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet says that an increasing number of countries are expected to join the naval alliance in the coming weeks.
The United States has previously announced that more than 20 countries are members of this international coalition, but a number of them have not publicly announced it.
Denmark became the newest member of the coalition on Friday by announcing the sending of a frigate.
The commander of the Fifth Fleet of the United States Navy said in a part of his interview with the Associated Press that five warships from the United States, France, and Britain are currently patrolling the southern waters of the Red Sea and the western Gulf of Aden, and since the start of their joint operation, They have succeeded in shooting down 17 drones and four anti-ship ballistic missiles.
According to Brad Cooper, the coalition is in direct contact with commercial vessels in transit to provide guidance on best practice to prevent attacks and works closely with the shipping industry to coordinate security.
Referring to the international joint force that was established since April of last year in order to improve maritime security in the region, he said “Operation Guardian of Welfare” will be carried out with the participation of more ships and continuous presence in the region to provide assistance to passing ships.
According to him, Houthi attacks using anti-ship ballistic missiles have increased and America believes that these “reckless” attacks will most likely continue.
In recent weeks, the Houthis, supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, have warned that they will target ships with an origin or destination in Israel. However, missile and drone attacks of this militant group have also been carried out on ships carrying the flags of other countries, including Norway and Liberia.
The Maersk company, which previously announced the change of its ships’ route to South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope, has announced in recent days that its ships will resume crossing the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait, referring to the “Operation Guardian of Welfare”.
The commander of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet also told the Associated Press that another shipping company has resumed using the Red Sea route.
Idea media news base,
Cyrus Kangarlu,
quoted by VOA
