US seeking partners to safeguard ships after Red Sea attacks

The Biden administration’s call for expanding a multinational naval force comes as Houthi militants in Yemen have vowed to target vessels bound for Israel.

The United States, attempting to contain the spread of Israel’s war in Gaza, is pitching allies on expanding a multinational naval task force to address an alarming rise in attacks on commercial vessels traveling near Yemen that have posed a significant threat to global shipping, The Washington Post reports.

The White House says it’s a “natural response” after the Houthis, a Yemeni militant group aligned with Iran, have fired missiles and one-way drones at several ships and hijacked at least one in recent weeks. But it remains unclear whether the United States and its partners will be able to deter the Houthis or tamp down Israel’s demands for forceful action. Measures such as military strikes or designating the Houthis as terrorists could complicate efforts by the United Nations, the United States and the others to end a disastrous civil conflict in Yemen.