By Al-Fassel | 2023-12-20

The United Kingdom and Italy on Tuesday (December 19) announced they are sending warships to the Red Sea in support of a new US-led maritime security initiative, amid escalating attacks staged by the Iran-backed Houthis.

"Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Diamond has joined Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new international task force to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," the British Ministry of Defence said.

"Alongside HMS Diamond, the task force currently includes three US destroyers, and a French warship is also in the region," it said.

"All are currently operating in the southern Red Sea with the multinational partnership focusing on protecting freedom of navigation, international trade and human life by countering illicit non-state actors in international waters."

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Monday announced the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new multinational security initiative in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Operation Prosperity Guardian will operate under the auspices of the 39-member Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and the leadership of its Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153), which focuses on security in the Red Sea, he said.

The UK contribution to the CMF is known as Operation Kipion -- its long-standing maritime presence in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

The initiative brings together countries including the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Seychelles.

Spain also will participate, with the Spanish defense ministry on Tuesday clarifying that the country "depends on the decisions of the European Union and NATO and, therefore, will not participate unilaterally."

In a joint statement issued Tuesday, the United States, European Union, NATO and a group representing 44 allies and partner nations condemned the Houthis' interference with navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea.

The Houthis' interference "also threatens the movement of food, fuel, humanitarian assistance, and other essential commodities to destinations and populations all over the world," the statement said.

HMS Diamond

HMS Diamond arrived in the Red Sea last weekend after UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps authorized the deployment on November 30 to protect and support key shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf.

"The warship, one of the Royal Navy's most advanced, shot down a suspected attack drone on Saturday morning which was targeting merchant shipping in the Red Sea," Shapps said.

In addition to HMS Diamond, HMS Lancaster, a squadron of three mine hunting vessels (HMS Bangor, HMS Chiddingfold and HMS Middleton) and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship (RFA Cardigan Bay) are deployed as part of the operation.

"The waters of the Gulf are vital routes for merchant shipping, including for tankers carrying much of the UK's supply of liquefied natural gas," Shapps said.

"Around 50 large merchant ships each day pass through the Bab al-Mandeb, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, while around 115 major merchant ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

"These illegal attacks are an unacceptable threat to the global economy, undermining regional security and are threatening to drive up fuel prices," he added.

"We are confident that a task force with the US, UK navies in particular and with our French allies, provides considerable capacity to deter future attacks and protect commercial shipping," UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman said.

Italy to send frigate

Italy's defense ministry on Tuesday announced it is sending a frigate to the Red Sea as part of international efforts to help safeguard ships against Houthi missile and drone attacks, AFP reported.

The Virginio Fasan will head towards the region in the "next few hours," it said in a statement.

"Italy will do its part, together with the international community, to counter the destabilizing terrorist activity of the Houthis... and to protect trade and guarantee freedom of navigation and international law," Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.

A defense source did not rule out that Italy could send a second ship to the Red Sea.

The Virginio Fasan is set from February to be the lead ship in the European Union's Atalanta anti-piracy mission in East Africa.

Challenges facing new force

A top Houthi official on Tuesday warned that any country that acts against the group will have its ships targeted in the Red Sea, AFP reported.

Yet striking at the Houthis in Yemen carries the risk of opening another front against the so-called "axis of resistance," an anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance backed by Iran, which also includes Hamas and Lebanese Hizbullah.

Western governments have been eager to avoid any widening of the Israel-Hamas conflict to the entire Middle East, which could risk pulling in Iran more directly.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis meanwhile are pursuing peace talks to end the war in Yemen, where some 400,000 people have died since 2014.

"The Houthis are very unlikely to jeopardize a potential deal by doing something that would lead to a Saudi reaction," said Dirk Siebels at Risk Intelligence, a Danish risk assessment and planning outfit.

Saudi Arabia "has no intention to freeze its negotiations with the Houthis and revert to war with them," said Hesham Alghannam, director general of the Security Research Center at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in Riyadh.