US says 'key partners' interested in maritime task force amid Houthi attacks

WASHINGTON

The US signaled Thursday that "several" pivotal nations have voiced interest in signing on to a maritime task force aimed at preventing further Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The US State and Defense Departments are leading international talks to "strengthen and expand" the 39-member Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

The CMF is a multinational naval partnership that already operates in international waters across the Middle East, including in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen where Houthi rebels have staged a series of attacks on commercial vessels they say are linked to Israel.

"Our focus at this time, is ensuring that there are sufficient military assets in place to determine these Houthi threats to maritime trade in the Red Sea and in the surrounding waters to the global economy writ large," Kirby said.

"We're also encouraging other like-minded nations to join this coalition and we've actually heard some interest from several key partners that are interested in coming aboard," he added.

The Pentagon said three ships – the M/V Unity Explorer, the M/V Number 9 and the M/V Sophie II – had come under anti-ship ballistic missile attacks in the Red Sea on Sunday.

The Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS Carney responded to distress calls from the ships, destroying a total of three inbound drones as it approached the vessels Sunday afternoon, US Central Command said in a statement.

The attacks are just the latest in a series of drone and missile attacks emanating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen that have target commercial ships in the strategic waterway.

The Red Sea connects the southern part of the strategically-important Suez Canal with the Gulf of Aden via the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Suez Canal serves as a critical commercial short-cut of sorts, connecting European markets with those in Asia. It allows ships to avoid the significantly lengthier transit through the Cape of Good Hope off the southern Africa coast.