The United States aims to rally European states in a new alliance patrolling the Red Sea. The proposed naval alliance aspires to defend shipping routes from attacks by the Yemen-based Houthi movement, whose activity has intensified following the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel.
The Red Sea has witnessed multiple high-profile missile and drone attacks on shipping vessels by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels following the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel. The Houthis claim to be carrying out their attacks in solidarity with Hamas.
Washington has responded to the threat by ramping up security patrols and surveillance in the region, in addition to launching Operation Prosperity Guardian, a 20-nation maritime mission designed to safeguard Western interests in the region.
If implemented, the U.S. proposal would coexist with various regional anti-piracy initiatives led by other states. For instance, Spain is currently involved in the ongoing Operation Atalanta, devised by the European Union to police the seas around the Horn of Africa. To date, the Biden administration’s attempts to rally international allies for Operation Prosperity Guardian have encountered opposition from Australia and multiple European nations refusing to place their naval forces under the direct command of Washington. Likewise, the absence of Egypt and Saudi Arabia from this initiative already poses logistical problems for Biden.
At the time of writing, the Spanish government has stated it will not join Operation Prosperity Guardian and opposes the extension of pre-existing EU missions to assist America in the Red Sea but did not rule out the creation of a new EU maritime mission for that purpose.
The Houthi movement, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Shia Islamist military movement inspired by Hezbollah and supported by Iran. For 20 years, it has fought under the slogan “God is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam,” in first a domestic insurgency and then in conflict with a Saudi-led coalition comprising several Gulf Cooperation Council states. It is not to be confused with the Houthi tribe, from where it takes its name.
